A U.K. study confirmed that the use of blood-thinning medications benefits all heart failure patients, regardless of whether or not those patients have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
A U.K. study confirmed that the use of blood-thinning medications benefits all heart failure patients, regardless of whether or not those patients have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
The study was conducted by Sensyne Health, a British clinical artificial intelligence-focused company. Synsyne collected data from about 500,000 National Health Service heart failure patients and analyzed it to determine the benefits of anticoagulants. U.K. health guidelines recommend the use of anticoagulants for heart failure patients who have an irregular heartbeat, which increases the likelihood of blood clots forming. However, this treatment is also associated with increased bleeding risks in the stomach and brain, Sensyne said.
Under healthcare guidelines in the United Kingdom, two different classes of blood thinners are typically prescribed to patients -- Warfarin, an off-patent drug developed in the 1940s, and a newer group of medicines known as NOACs. In its study, Sensyne compared the anonymized data collected over a three year period from heart failure patients who had not been prescribed anticoagulants versus those who had been given either warfarin or NOACs.
The benefit of anticoagulants in patients with an irregular heartbeat is well documented, Sensyne said. But, the company noted that the data from this study also suggested a small but statistically significant survival benefit for heart failure patients without an irregular heart on anticoagulants. Sensyne said it would require additional analysis to confirm if the difference is clinically relevant and if so which subgroups of patients would benefit the most. The analysis of the heart failure patient data analysis also suggests that there may be relevant differences, not only between the use of warfarin compared to NOACs, but also between the NOACs currently in use. The company said this early observation is worthy of further exploration.
“These findings are interesting in their own right, but the combination of these standard, statistical approaches with the application of Sensyne Health’s machine learning patient stratification algorithm that identifies different subgroups of heart failure patients is where the opportunities lie for enhanced analysis, insights and clinical understanding,” the company said this morning.
Sir Bruce Keogh, interim chairman of the board of directors at Sensyne Health, said the research demonstrates the value of the company’s partnership with the National Health Services because it allows a “rapid and cost-effective analysis of therapeutic efficacy outside the confines of randomized clinical trials.” Keogh added that the study reflects the “reality of routine clinical practice.” Sensyne’s in silico analysis of the real-world data in electronic patient records offers the enticing potential of a faster, more representative and cost-effective alternative, he said.
“The Sensyne / NHS partnership offers the prospect of new insights leading to iterative improvements in healthcare,” Keogh said in a statement.
Heart failure affects more than one million U.K. adults and is responsible for 10,000 deaths a year.
