Perspective:

Current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend 3 months of anticoagulation after bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement in an effort to reduce thromboembolic complications (Class IIb, Level of Evidence B). Thromboembolic events are theorized to occur related to formation of thrombus on the freshly implanted bioprosthetic valve. It is also hypothesized that after 3 months, the valve ring has become endothelialized and the risk of embolic events is negligible. This meta-analysis suggests that there may be no clinical benefit to anticoagulation following bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement, either in the short-term (3 months) or longer-term, and furthermore, anticoagulation increases bleeding complications.

As the authors appropriately point out, the studies incorporated in this meta-analysis are largely observational and many do not fully report patient specifics, which may have contributed to either beneficial outcomes or any increased likelihood of complications. Selection bias and variable management strategies also weaken the strength of the included studies. Furthermore, data regarding the degree of compliance and adherence to international normalized ratio targets were not available. Nevertheless, this study does raise concern that in the general population, use of anticoagulation following bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement may not be necessary and may result in increased bleeding complications. Obviously, a large-scale randomized trial of anticoagulation in this setting would be beneficial.