Rivaroxaban-associated intracranial hemorrhage in Saudi atrial fibrillation patients

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Anticoagulation therapy effectively reduces systemic embolization in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, but intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a major possible complication. This study assessed the real-time rate of rivaroxaban-associated ICH in Saudi patients. We retrospectively reviewed patients with ICH during rivaroxaban therapy, assessing clinical features and outcomes. Four cases out of 690 patients were identified in total, indicating an incidence of ICH during rivaroxaban therapy of 0.58%. Hematoma expansion developed in 1 case. Three out of four patients were discharged after ICH, and 1 patient died. The incidence of rivaroxaban-related ICH was similar to that previously reported, and the risk of hematoma expansion was low. Further studies are required to validate our results.