Beta-blockers tied to lower mortality in patients with sepsis: Study
USA: A recent study published in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine has highlighted the beneficial effects of beta-blockers in sepsis patients. The study found premorbid beta-blockers to be associated with lower short-term mortality in sepsis patients.
The authors showed that in the adjusted, pooled analysis, these patients had lower lactate levels, lower heart rate, and higher mean arterial pressure while on admission for sepsis and had lower short-term mortality in the adjusted, pooled analysis.
In the systematic review and meta-analysis, Daisuke Hasegawa, Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan, and colleagues aimed to investigate the impact of premorbid beta-blockers on mortality in patients with sepsis.
For this purpose, the researchers searched the online databases for eligible studies. The inclusion criteria were independently identified by two authors. Inclusion criteria include (1) randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies; (2) patients with sepsis aged ≥18 years, and (3) premorbid beta-blocker use.
The patients' characteristics and outcomes were extracted by two authors independently. All analyses were performed using the random-effects models.
The primary outcome was short-term mortality, defined as mortality within 30 days, in-hospital or intensive care unit mortality. Ten studies (n = 24 748 patients) were included.
Based on the study, the researchers found the following:
- The pooled odds ratio (OR) of short-term mortality associated with the premorbid use of beta-blockers was 0.85.
- Five studies reported an adjusted OR of short-term mortality.
- The pooled adjusted OR of short-term mortality associated with the premorbid use of beta-blockers was 0.73.
"Our results showed that premorbid beta-blockers were associated with a lower short-term mortality in patients with sepsis," wrote the authors.
"There is a need for further studies on the interactions of beta-blockers with their receptors to fully verify their impact on the outcomes of patients with sepsis," they concluded.
Reference:
1.Hasegawa D, Sato R, Prasitlumkum N, Nishida K. Effect of Premorbid Beta-Blockers on Mortality in Patients With Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Intensive Care Medicine. November 2021. doi:10.1177/08850666211052926
