title: Benefits and harms of perioperative beta-blockade.
abstract: Cardiac events in patients undergoing surgery may have serious consequences for both short- and long-term postoperative prognosis. Recently conducted trials have not demonstrated beneficial effects of perioperative beta-blockade, although originally small trials with methodological flaws did suggest this. We evaluate the evidence for using perioperative beta-blockade in both cardiac and non-cardiac surgery, and conclude that there is no statistically significant effect on mortality and insufficient evidence for a reduction of the incidence of mycocardial infarction in meta-analyses of all randomized trials. However, confidence intervals of the intervention effects in the meta-analyses are wide, leaving room for both benefits and harms. The largest observational study performed suggests that perioperative beta-blockade is associated with higher mortality in patients with low cardiac risk or diabetes, and with lower mortality in patients with high cardiac risk undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Larger randomized trials are needed to determine dosage, optimal duration, and safety of therapy, and to identify populations in whom-and how-perioperative beta-blockade may be beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Copenhagen Trial Unit, Centre for Clinical Intervention Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. wetterslev@ctu.rh.dk
authors.forename: Jørn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wetterslev
authors.forename: Anne Benedicte
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Juul
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D019990:Perioperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists