The Risk of Postpolypectomy Bleeding in Patients Receiving Direct Oral Anticoagulants compared to Warfarin or Nonanticoagulation: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Aim: The aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the risk of postpolypectomy bleeding (PPB) in patients exposed to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). Methods: A systematic search was conducted by searching the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases using the following search terms: “(nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants or NOAC or apixaban or dabigatran or rivaroxaban or edoxaban or DOAC or direct oral anticoagulants) and polypectomy”. Studies evaluating the association between DOACs and PPB were identified. Results: The bibliographical search yielded 103 studies. Twelve studies involving 621,279 participants were ultimately included (11 cohort studies, of which 10 were retrospective, and a randomized controlled trial.). Pooled estimates revealed a higher risk of PPB among patients using DOACs than among those without anticoagulation (odds ratio [OR]: 6.170, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.079 to 12.363). The same result occurred when DOACs were stopped 24 hours before polypectomy (OR: 8.66, 95% CI: 4.588 to 16.348). No significant difference was noted between overall DOACs and warfarin (OR 0.826, 95% CI 0.583 to 1.172), while for subgroups, dabigatran showed a lower PPB rate than warfarin (OR: 0.582, 95% CI: 0.340 to 0.994). Conclusions: DOACs can significantly raise the risk of PPB, even with 24-hour withdrawal before polypectomy. In addition, a lower risk of PPB was detected for dabigatran than for warfarin.