• Martin Dunkelgrun, Eric Boersma, Olaf Schouten, Ankie W M M Koopman-van Gemert, Frans van Poorten, Jeroen J Bax, Ian R Thomson, Don Poldermans, and Dutch Echocardiographic Cardiac Risk Evaluation Applying Stress Echocardiography Study Group.
• Departments of Vascular Surgery, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
• Ann. Surg.. 2009 Jun 1;249(6):921-6.

ObjectiveThis study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of beta-blockers and statins for the prevention of perioperative cardiovascular events in intermediate-risk patients undergoing noncardiovascular surgery.Summary Background DataBeta-blockers and statins reduce perioperative cardiac events in high-risk patients undergoing vascular surgery by restoring the myocardial oxygen supply/demand balance and/or stabilizing coronary plaques. However, their effects in intermediate-risk patients remained ill-defined.MethodsIn this randomized open-label 2 x 2 factorial design trial 1066 intermediate cardiac risk patients were assigned to bisoprolol, fluvastatin, combination treatment, or control therapy before surgery (median: 34 days). Intermediate risk was defined by an estimated risk of perioperative cardiac death and myocardial infarction (MI) of 1% to 6%, using clinical data and type of surgery. Starting dose of bisoprolol was 2.5 mg daily, titrated to a perioperative heart rate of 50 to 70 beats per minute. Fluvastatin was prescribed in a fixed dose of 80 mg. The primary end point was the composite of 30-day cardiac death and MI. This study is registered in the ISRCTN registry and has the ID number ISRCTN47637497.ResultsPatients randomized to bisoprolol (N = 533) had a lower incidence of perioperative cardiac death and nonfatal MI than those randomized to bisoprolol-control (2.1% vs. 6.0% events; hazard ratios: 0.34; 95% confidence intervals: 0.17-0.67; P = 0.002). Patients randomized to fluvastatin experienced a lower incidence of the end point than those randomized to fluvastatin-control therapy (3.2% vs. 4.9% events; hazard ratios: 0.65; 95% confidence intervals: 0.35-1.10), but statistical significance was not reached (P = 0.17).ConclusionBisoprolol was associated with a significant reduction of 30-day cardiac death and nonfatal MI, while fluvastatin showed a trend for improved outcome.

This article appears in the collection: Peri-operative beta blockade.

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