To Örebro University

Introduction: Depressive symptoms occur in approximately half of trauma patients, negatively impacting on functional outcome and quality of life following severe head injury. Pontine noradrenaline has been shown to increase upon trauma and associated beta-adrenergic receptor activation appears to consolidate memory formation of traumatic events. Blocking adrenergic activity reduces physiological stress responses during recall of traumatic memories and impairs memory, implying a potential therapeutic role of beta-blockers. This study examines the effect of pre-admission beta-blockade on post-traumatic depression.

Methods: All adult trauma patients (>= 18 years) with severe, isolated traumatic brain injury (intracranial Abbreviated Injury Scale score (AIS) >= 3 and extracranial AIS <3) were recruited from the trauma registry of an urban university hospital between 2007 and 2011. Exclusion criteria were in-hospital deaths and prescription of antidepressants up to one year prior to admission. Pre- and post-admission beta-blocker and antidepressant therapy data was requested from the national drugs registry. Post-traumatic depression was defined as the prescription of antidepressants within one year of trauma. Patients with and without pre-admission beta-blockers were matched 1: 1 by age, gender, Glasgow Coma Scale, Injury Severity Score and head AIS. Analysis was carried out using McNemar's and Student's t-test for categorical and continuous data, respectively.

Results: A total of 545 patients met the study criteria. Of these, 15% (n = 80) were prescribed beta-blockers. After propensity matching, 80 matched pairs were analyzed. 33% (n = 26) of non beta-blocked patients developed post-traumatic depression, compared to only 18% (n = 14) in the beta-blocked group (p = 0.04). There were no significant differences in ICU (mean days: 5.8 (SD 10.5) vs. 5.6 (SD 7.2), p = 0.85) or hospital length of stay (mean days: 21 (SD 21) vs. 21 (SD 20), p = 0.94) between cohorts.

Conclusion: beta-blockade appears to act prophylactically and significantly reduces the risk of posttraumatic depression in patients suffering from isolated severe traumatic brain injuries. Further prospective randomized studies are warranted to validate this finding.

BACKGROUND: Approximately half of trauma patients develop post-traumatic depression. It is suggested that beta-blockade impairs trauma memory recollection, reducing depressive symptoms. This study investigates the effect of early beta-blockade on depression following severe traumatic injuries in patients without significant brain injury.

METHODS: Patients were identified by retrospectively reviewing the trauma registry at an urban university hospital between 2007 and 2011. Severe extracranial injuries were defined as extracranial injuries with Abbreviated Injury Scale score ≥3, intracranial Abbreviated Injury Scale score <3 and an Injury Severity Score ≥16. In-hospital deaths and patients prescribed antidepressant therapy ≤1 year prior to admission were excluded. Patients were stratified into groups based on pre-admission beta-blocker status. The primary outcome was post-traumatic depression, defined as receiving antidepressants ≤1 year following trauma.

RESULTS: Five hundred and ninety-six patients met the inclusion criteria with 11.4% prescribed pre-admission beta-blockade. Patients receiving beta-blockers were significantly older (57 ± 18 vs. 42 ± 17 years, p < 0.001) with lower Glasgow Coma Scale score (12 ± 3 vs. 14 ± 2, p < 0.001). The beta-blocked cohort spent significantly longer in hospital (21 ± 20 vs. 15 ± 17 days, p < 0.01) and intensive care (4 ± 7 vs. 3 ± 5 days, p = 0.01). A forward logistic regression model was applied and predicted lack of beta-blockade to be associated with increased risk of depression (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1-7.2, p = 0.04). After adjusting for group differences, patients lacking beta-blockers demonstrated an increased risk of depression (AOR 3.3, 95% CI 1.2-8.6, p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: Pre-admission beta-blockade is associated with a significantly reduced risk of depression following severe traumatic injury. Further investigation is needed to determine the beneficial effects of beta-blockade in these instances.

BACKGROUND: Emergency colorectal cancer surgery is associated with significant mortality. Induced adrenergic hyperactivity is thought to be an important contributor. Downregulating the effects of circulating catecholamines may reduce the risk of adverse outcomes. This study assessed whether regular preoperative beta-blockade reduced mortality after emergency colonic cancer surgery.

METHODS: This cohort study used the prospectively collected Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry to recruit all adult patients requiring emergency colonic cancer surgery between 2011 and 2016. Patients were subdivided into those receiving regular beta-blocker therapy before surgery and those who were not (control). Demographics and clinical outcomes were compared. Risk factors for 30-day mortality were evaluated using Poisson regression analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 3187 patients were included, of whom 685 (21·5 per cent) used regular beta-blocker therapy before surgery. The overall 30-day mortality rate was significantly reduced in the beta-blocker group compared with controls: 3·1 (95 per cent c.i. 1·9 to 4·7) versus 8·6 (7·6 to 9·8) per cent respectively (P < 0·001). Beta-blocker therapy was the only modifiable protective factor identified in multivariable analysis of 30-day all-cause mortality (incidence rate ratio 0·31, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·47; P < 0·001) and was associated with a significant reduction in death of cardiovascular, respiratory, sepsis and multiple organ failure origin.

CONCLUSION: Preoperative beta-blocker therapy may be associated with a reduction in 30-day mortality following emergency colonic cancer surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain whether regular β-blocker exposure can improve short- and long-term outcomes after rectal cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: Surgery for rectal cancer is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. There is increasing evidence to suggest that there is a survival benefit in patients exposed to β-blockers undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Studies investigating the effects on outcomes in patients subjected to surgery for rectal cancer are lacking.

METHODS: All adult patients undergoing elective abdominal resection for rectal cancer over a 10-year period were recruited from the prospectively collected Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry. Patients were subdivided according to preoperative β-blocker exposure status. Outcomes of interest were 30-day complications, 30-day cause-specific mortality, and 1-year all-cause mortality. The association between β-blocker use and outcomes were analyzed using Poisson regression model with robust standard errors for 30-day complications and cause-specific mortality. One-year survival was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS: A total of 11,966 patients were included in the current study, of whom 3513 (29.36%) were exposed to regular preoperative β-blockers. A significant decrease in 30-day mortality was detected (incidence rate ratio = 0.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.03-0.13, P < 0.001). Deaths of cardiovascular nature, respiratory origin, sepsis, and multiorgan failure were significantly lower in β-blocker users, as were the incidences in postoperative infection and anastomotic failure. The β-blocker positive group had significantly better survival up to 1 year postoperatively with a risk reduction of 57% (hazard ratio = 0.43, 95% confidence interval: 0.37-0.52, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative β-blocker use is strongly associated with improved survival and morbidity after abdominal resection for rectal cancer.