Preoperative beta blockers may give survival boost
June 1, 2002
Preoperative beta blockers may give survival boost
A large observational analysis associates preoperative beta-blocker therapy with a small but consistent survival benefit for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), according to research published in the May 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Among patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 30%, however, preoperative beta-blocker therapy was associated with a trend toward a higher mortality rate.
The research used the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (NCD) to assess beta-blocker use and outcomes among 629,877 patients undergoing CABG between 1996 and 1999 at 497 U.S. and Canadian sites. Patients who received beta-blockers had a lower 30-day mortality rate (2.8%) than those who did not (3.4%).
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