Intracranial hemorrhage during administration of a novel oral anticoagulant

Objective: Oral anticoagulants are widely administered to patients with atrial fibrillation in order to prevent the onset of cardiogenic embolisms. However, intracranial bleeding during anticoagulant therapy often leads to fatal outcomes. Accordingly, the use of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs), which less frequently have intracranial bleeding as a complication, is expanding. A nationwide survey of intracranial bleeding and its prognosis in Japan reported that intracranial bleeding of advanced severity was not common after NOAC administration. In this report, two cases from our institute are presented. Patients: Case 1 was an 85-year-old man with a right frontal lobe hemorrhage while under dabigatran therapy. Case 2 was an 81-year-old man who had cerebellar hemorrhage while under rivaroxaban therapy. Result: In both patients, the clinical course progressed without aggravation of bleeding or neurological abnormalities once anticoagulant therapy was discontinued. Conclusion: These observations suggest that intracranial hemorrhage during NOAC therapy is easily controlled by discontinuation of the drug. NOAC administration may therefore be appropriate despite the risk of such severe complications. Further case studies that include a subgroup analysis with respect to each NOAC or patient background will be required to establish appropriate guidelines for the prevention of cardiogenic embolisms in patients with atrial fibrillation.