HEMORRHAGIC COMPLICATIONS IN THE ORAL CAVITY AS RISK INDICATORS FOR SYSTEMIC BLEEDING: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON DOAC PATIENTS

The introduction of NOACs has allowed overcoming several drawbacks typical of TAOs, as the need for continuous moni- toring and various interactions with drugs and food. Despite their greater safety, the associated risk of bleeding is not zero. The objectives of this research were to investigate the associ- ation between systemic bleeding and oral cavity bleeding and the influence of certain patient characteristics and comorbidi- ties on the bleeding risk. In this retrospective observational study, an analysis was con- ducted on a sample of patients on NOAC therapy in Trieste (It- aly) reporting oral bleeding during the period between August 2017 and June 2023. Out of the 42 patients included in the study, 9 (21%) during an- ticoagulant treatment also developed an episode of systemic bleeding, mainly at the naso-sinus and gastrointestinal levels. No bleeding was classified as major life-threatening hemor- rhage. Despite thorough research, the collected data did not show any statistically significant correlation (p-value >0.05) between oral cavity bleeding and bleeding in other anatomi- cal districts and it was not possible to calculate the strength of association with certain patient characteristics and comor- bidities. This study did not yield statistically significant data supporting the hypothesis of oral cavity bleeding as an indicator of risk for systemic bleeding episodes. It is important to note, however, that this research included a limited number of patients; further investigations with larger samples may be essential to confirm or refute the association between the two factors.