Beta-blockers improve in-hospital and long-term survival in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction...

To study whether beta-blockers reduce in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) undergoing major vascular surgery.

Observational cohort study.

Five hundred and eleven patients with severe LVD (ejection fraction<30%) undergoing major non-cardiac vascular surgery.

In all patients, cardiac risk factors, medication (including beta-blockers), and dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) results were noted prior to surgery. DSE was evaluated for rest and stress-induced new wall motion abnormalities. Endpoint was in-hospital and long-term mortality. Propensity scores for beta-blockers were calculated and regression models were used to analyse the relation between beta-blockers and mortality.

Mean age was 64+/-11 years and 383 patients (75%) were male. 139 patients (27%) used beta-blockers. Stress-induced ischemia occurred in 82 patients (16%). Median follow-up was 7 years (interquartile range: 3-10). In-hospital and long-term mortality was observed in 64 (13%) and 171 (33%) patients, respectively. After adjusting for clinical variables, DSE results and propensity scores, beta-blockers were significantly associated with reduced in-hospital and long-term mortality (OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04-0.74 and HR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.22-0.65, respectively).

In patients with severe LVD undergoing major vascular surgery, the use of beta-blockers is associated with a reduced incidence of in-hospital and long-term postoperative mortality.