Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38955399›Full record

ArticleOpen heart2024

Impact of patient selection in clinical trials: application of ROCKET AF and ARISTOTLE criteria in GARFIELD-AF.

Jelle C L Himmelreich, Saverio Virdone, John Camm, Karen Pieper, Ralf E Harskamp, Ali Oto, Barry F Jacobson, J P S Sawhney, Toon Wei Lim, Harry Gibbs and 7 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Open heart, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Jelle C L HimmelreichDepartment of General Practice, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands j.c.himmelreich@amsterdamumc.nl.ORCID 0000-0003-0430-1583
Saverio VirdoneThrombosis Research Institute, London, UK.
John CammCardiology, St George's Hospital, London, Ohio, USA.
Karen PieperThrombosis Research Institute, London, UK.
Ralf E HarskampDepartment of General Practice, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Ali OtoCardiology, Memorial Ankara Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Barry F JacobsonUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
J P S SawhneySir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Toon Wei LimCardiology, National University Heart Centre, Singapore.
Harry GibbsMedicine Alfred Hospital, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Shinya GotoTokai University School of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa, Japan.
Sylvia HaasHaemostasis and Thrombosis Research Group, Institute for Experimental Oncology and Therapy Research, Formerly Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Keith A A FoxCardiology, University of Edinburgh and Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, UK.
Petr JanskyUniversity Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic.
Freek VerheugtCardiology, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Ajay K KakkarThrombosis Research Institute, London, UK.
GARFIELD-AF investigators

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe extent to which differences in results from Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation (ARISTOTLE) and Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial (ROCKET) atrial fibrillation (AF)-the landmark trials for the approval of apixaban and rivaroxaban, respectively, for non-valvular AF-were influenced by differences in their protocols is debated. The potential influence of selection criteria on trial results was assessed by emulating these trials in data from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the Field (GARFIELD)-AF registry.

methodsVitamin K antagonist (VKA) and non-vitamin K oral antagonist (NOAC) users from GARFIELD-AF were selected according to eligibility for the original ARISTOTLE or ROCKET AF trials. A propensity score overlap weighted Cox model was used to emulate trial randomisation between treatment groups. Adjusted HRs for stroke or systemic embolism (SE) within 2 years of enrolment were calculated for each NOAC versus VKA.

resultsAmong patients on apixaban, rivaroxaban and VKA, 2570, 3560 and 8005 were eligible for ARISTOTLE, respectively, and 1612, 2005 and 4368, respectively, for ROCKET AF. When selecting for ARISTOTLE criteria, apixaban users had significantly lower stroke/SE risk versus VKA (HR 0.57; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.94) while no reduction was observed with rivaroxaban (HR 0.98; 95% CI 0.68 to 1.40). When selecting for ROCKET AF criteria, safety and efficacy versus VKA were similar across the NOACs.

conclusionApixaban and rivaroxaban showed similar results versus VKA in high-risk patients selected according to ROCKET AF criteria, whereas differences emerged when selecting for the more inclusive ARISTOTLE criteria. Our results highlight the importance of trial selection criteria in interpreting trial results and underline the problems faced in comparing treatments across rather than within clinical trials.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationFactor Xa InhibitorsPatient SelectionPyrazolesPyridonesRivaroxabanStrokeAdministration, OralAgedAnticoagulantsFemaleHumansMaleRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRegistriesRisk AssessmentAnticoagulantsapixabanFactor Xa InhibitorsPyrazolesPyridonesRivaroxabanVitamin KAtrial FibrillationBiostatisticsPharmacology, ClinicalSTROKE

Identifiers

PMID38955399
PMCPMC11217994

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.