Long-term visit-to-visit blood pressure variability and risk of cardiovascular and bleeding events: insights from the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial

This post hoc analysis of the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial assesses differences in cardiovascular and bleeding events according to visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPv) in 19,680 patients with a minimum of 4 blood pressure measurements post randomization. Patients were categorized into four groups based on the standard deviation of systolic blood pressure (SBP-SD). In comparisons of the fourth vs first quartile of SBP-SD adjusted for components of the CHA₂D₂-VASc score and baseline SBP, there were no differences in the odds of stroke, cardiovascular mortality, or all-cause mortality. However, there were statistically significant increases in the risk of major bleeding (OR 1.9, (1.6-2.25)). myocardial infarction (OR 1.42 (1.08-1.87)) and heart failure outcomes (OR 1.49 (1.3-1.72)) in the fourth quartile of BPv. This post-hoc analysis shows that BPv is independently associated with an increased risk of bleeding, MI, and heart failure outcomes in a population with AF on oral anticoagulation.