The impact of factor Xa inhibitors on bleeding risk in patients with respiratory diseases

Abstract It is unclear which factor Xa (FXa) inhibitors are associated with higher bleeding risk in patients with respiratory diseases, and there are no studies on the association between prothrombin time–international normalized ratio (PT–INR) and bleeding risk. We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing 1-year-outcomes and PT–INR between patients with respiratory diseases treated with rivaroxaban (R group, n = 82) or edoxaban (E group, n = 138) for atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism from 2013 to 2021. The most frequent event of all bleeding discontinuations was respiratory bleeding in both groups (7.3 and 4.3%, respectively). The cumulative incidence of bleeding discontinuation was significantly higher in the R group (25.6%) than in the E group (14.4%) (hazard ratio [HR], 2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13–4.64; P = 0.023). PT–INR after initiation of therapy significantly increased and was higher in the R group than in the E group (median value, 1.4 and 1.2, respectively; P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards and Fine-Gray models revealed that PT–INR after initiation of therapy was an independent risk factor of bleeding discontinuation events (HR = 4.37, 95% CI 2.57–7.41: P < 0.001). Respiratory bleeding occasionally occurs in patients receiving FXa inhibitors, and monitoring the PT–INR may need to ensure safety

Efficacy of direct hemoperfusion using polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column (PMX-DHP) in rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonias: results of a historical control study and a review of previous studies

Background: Direct hemoperfusion using polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column (PMX-DHP) therapy has been approved for sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome, but its efficacy for other rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonias (RPIPs) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of PMX-DHP therapy for acute respiratory failure in patients with RPIPs, when compared with a historical control receiving conventional treatment without PMX-DHP. Methods: This study comprised 77 patients with RPIPs in our institute between January 2002 and December 2015. The initial 36 patients between January 2002 and March 2007 were treated without PMX-DHP (historical control group), and the following 41 patients between April 2007 and December 2015 were treated with PMX-DHP (PMX-DHP group) once daily for two successive days concurrently with corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressive agents. The 90-day mortality and clinical factors were compared between the groups. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to analyze 90-day mortality and identify predictors. Results: The 90-day mortality rate was significantly lower in the PMX-DHP group than in the controls (41.5% versus 66.7%, p = 0.019). PMX-DHP therapy was significantly associated with mortality (hazard ratio 0.505; 95% confidence interval, 0.270–0.904; p = 0.032). There were significant differences in the serial changes in the PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratio, SOFA score, and blood neutrophil counts from days 0–5 after PMX-DHP between the survivor and non-survivor groups ( p = 0.015, p < 0.001, p = 0.035, respectively). The improved PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratio on day 3 significantly correlated with the change in blood neutrophil counts (r s = −0.431, p = 0.006). Conclusions: PMX-DHP therapy may be effective in RPIPs patients accompanied by acute respiratory failure and is expected to reduce mortality rates