Surgical Safety Quality Measures
Beta-blockers are a group of medications that block
the stress hormone adrenaline, creating health benefits by blocking the harmful
effects of adrenaline and slowing the pulse rate. Surgery can be a time of
physical and emotional stress, bringing chronic health problems such as high
blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and irregular heart rhythms to crisis levels.
A New
England Journal of Medicine (July 28, 2005; 353(4): 349-361) study of
high-risk noncardiac surgery patients from 329 US hospitals concluded that
beta-blocker medication reduced the risk of in-hospital death in patients having
major surgery.
As with any medication, beta-blockers are not for everyone. In addition, some
physicians choose to withhold beta blocker medication for patients with health
conditions such as lung disease or a slow pulse rate.
At
St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center, beta-blocker medication is routinely provided for eligible
surgical patients with high cardiac risk.