Intracranial hemorrhages (ICHs) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Use of oral anticoagulants are a potential risk factor for ICH, and reversal of the anticoagulant with agents such as Four-Factor Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (4F-PCC) or Activated Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (aPCC) is vital to prevent hematoma expansion. The objective of the study was to the compare the time to administration and outcomes of 4F-PCC or aPCC in patients with ICH taking an oral anticoagulant.

This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort chart review of patients with ICH taking an oral anticoagulants who received 4F-PCC or aPCC over a two year period. The primary outcome of the study was to the compare the time to administration of 4F-PCC or aPCC in patients with ICH on an oral anticoagulant. Secondary outcomes included evaluating mortality rate, modified Rankin scale (mRs) score, presence of worsening bleed volume on first computed tomography (CT) six hours after the initial reading, and hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. The tertiary outcome was to evaluate the effect of risk factors for delay on time to administration, with delay being greater than 60 min.

A total of 350 patient charts were reviewed and 193 patients (4F-PCC [n = 99] and aPCC [n = 94]) were included in the study. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome of median time to administration for the 4F-PCC group (141 min, IQR [93–185]) compared to aPCC (121 min, IQR [107–194]; p = 0.08). No difference was identified between the two groups for all secondary outcomes. Only time to CT results was found to be a risk factor for administration delay (OR, 1.160; 95% CI, 1.073–1.255; p < 0.001).

In patients with ICH taking oral anticoagulants, there was no significant difference in the time to administration between 4F-PCC and aPCC. More prospective randomized controlled trials are warranted to determine an ideal reversal time to improve patient outcomes.