Hemorrhage in patients under oral anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation. The other side of the coin

Abstract Introduction and objectives Oral anticoagulation therapy is prescribed to most patients with atrial fibrillation. The main limitation of anticoagulant treatment is the occurrence of bleeding episodes. We sought to assess the type of hemorrhages and mortality in patients anticoagulated for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Methods Observational retrospective study analyzing 2 081 138 hospitalization reports from 2014 corresponding to 151 hospitals of the Spanish National Health System. Patients were selected with the diagnosis of hemorrhage, nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, and oral anticoagulation. Results A total of 5783 hospitalizations were analyzed. Most hemorrhages were digesti…