• Catherine Ashes, Saul Judelman, Duminda N Wijeysundera, Gordon Tait, C David Mazer, Gregory M T Hare, and W Scott Beattie.
• * Cardiac Anesthesia Fellow, Department of Anesthesia, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. † Cardiac Anesthesia Fellow, Department of Anesthesia, St. Michaels Hospital and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ‡ Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesia, University Health Network; Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital; Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation; and University of Toronto. § Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesia, University Health Network, and University of Toronto. ‖ Professor, Department of Anesthesia, St. Michaels Hospital and the University of Toronto, and Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital. # Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesia, St. Michaels Hospital and the University of Toronto, and Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital. ** Professor, Department of Anesthesia, University Health Network; The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (within Toronto General Hospital), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and University of Toronto.
• Anesthesiology. 2013 Oct 1;119(4):777-87.

BackgroundPerioperative metoprolol increases postoperative stroke. Animal studies indicate that the mechanism may be related to attenuated β(2)-adrenoreceptor-mediated cerebral vasodilatation. The authors therefore conducted a cohort to study whether the highly β(1)-specific β-blocker (bisoprolol) was associated with a reduced risk of postoperative stroke compared with less selective β-blockers (metoprolol or atenolol).MethodsThe authors conducted a single-center study on 44,092 consecutive patients with age 50 yr or more having noncardiac, nonneurologic surgery. The primary outcome was stroke within 7 days of surgery. The secondary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, postoperative myocardial injury, and stroke. A propensity score-matched cohort was created to assess the independent association between bisoprolol and less β(1)-selective agents metoprolol or atenolol. A secondary analysis using logistic regression, based on previously identified confounders, also compared selective β(1)-antagonism.ResultsTwenty-four percent (10,756) of patients were exposed to in-hospital β-blockers. A total of 88 patients (0.2%) suffered a stroke within 7 days of surgery. The matched cohort consisted of 2,462 patients, and the pairs were well matched for all variables. Bisoprolol was associated with fewer postoperative strokes than the less selective agents (odds ratio = 0.20; 95% CI, 0.04-0.91). Multivariable risk-adjustment in the β-blockers-exposed patients comparing bisoprolol with the less selective agents was associated with a similarly reduced stroke rate.ConclusionsThe use of metoprolol and atenolol is associated with increased risks of postoperative stroke, compared with bisoprolol. These findings warrant confirmation in a pragmatic randomized trial.

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