Original Investigation

Perioperative Management of Anticoagulation in Patients With Mechanical Heart Valves

JAMA Network Open 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.32282

September 04, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT

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In this retrospective cohort study, patients with MHVs experienced clinically meaningful risks of perioperative ATE and bleeding. These data do not establish a causal protective effect of postoperative bridging. However, omitting bridging in patients with MHVs was associated with a higher estimated risk of ATE in exploratory analyses and should be approached cautiously, pending stronger evidence from representative cohorts.

Corresponding Author: Joseph R. Shaw, MD, MSc, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, 501 Smyth Rd, Box 201A, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada (josshaw@toh.ca).

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