To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Evidence-Based Use of Beta-Blockers Before Aneurysm Repair Improves Outcomes: Presented at ACS URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22ECBA.htm Doctor's Guide October 14, 2008
By Roberta Friedman, PhD SAN FRANCISCO -- October 14, 2008 -- Based on evidence from clinical trials, the move to use beta-blockers before abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair has improved surgical outcomes, according to a case-control study presented here at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 94th Annual Clinical Congress. According to study presenter Benjamin Brooke, MD, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland, in-hospital mortality improved for those hospitals that adopted the use of beta-blockers before aneurysm surgery compared with hospitals that did not, and the difference was not due to the hospital track records for surgeries overall. "A significant reduction in perioperative mortality followed AAA repair and did not just reflect the hospitals' overall quality," said Dr. Brooke in his presentation on October 13. "We should be focusing our efforts on evidence-based measures." The analysis included 108 California hospitals that were clustered around the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego areas. The researchers analysed data on 6,204 AAA repairs, 2,780 oesophagectomies, 2,544 hepatectomies, and 2,909 pancreatectomies. Results showed that adopter hospitals had better survival rates from 2003 to 2005 after adding beta-blockers to the preoperative regimen compared with 1998 to 2002. The difference was statistically significant (P = .04). However, the researchers found no difference in survival rates for oesophagectomies, hepatectomies, and pancreatectomies after implementation of preoperative beta-blockade, nor did the volumes of these procedures change over the time period of the comparison. The researchers concluded that implementation of beta-blocker therapy before surgery resulted in a significant reduction in mortality after open AAA repair but had no significant effect on the mortality associated with other high-risk surgeries. [Presentation title: Adopting Evidence-Based Process Measures in Surgery: Intervention Specific or Associated With Overall Hospital Quality? Abstract S74] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.