title: Possible indications of beta-blockers in the perioperative period other than prevention of cardiac ischemia.
abstract: According to the guidelines of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2006 for perioperative cardiovascular evaluation for non-cardiac surgery, beta-blocker therapy should be considered for high-risk individuals undergoing vascular surgery or high- and intermediate-risk patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. This guideline might induce physicians to increasingly use beta-blockers in the hope of preventing perioperative cardiac complications. However, beta-blockers have potential beneficial effects outside the prevention of cardiac events. In addition to reducing anesthetic and analgesic requirements during the perioperative period, beta-blockers have neuroprotective effects in patients with brain trauma and possible effectiveness in the management of intraoperative awareness-induced post-traumatic stress disorder. Moreover, intrathecal administration of beta-blockers may have antinociceptive effects. Physicians need to bear in mind the benefits of beta-blockers for purposes other than preventing cardiac events when applied in the perioperative period, and they should be familiar with the pharmacodynamics and risk-benefit ratio with their use. This review focuses on possible extracardiac indications of beta-blockers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-Machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan. kadoi@med.gunma-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kadoi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000187:drug effects; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019990:Perioperative Care / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000700:Analgesics; D000777:Anesthetics; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents