Many people who have heart problems, or are at risk for heart problems, take drugs
called
beta blockers to reduce the risk of future heart problems. This measure shows
whether surgery patients who were already taking beta blockers before coming to
the hospital were given beta blockers during the time just before and after their
surgery.
Why this is important:
It is often standard procedure to stop a patient's usual medications for a while before
and after their surgery. But, if a patient who has been taking beta blockers suddenly
stops taking them, s/he can have heart problems such as a fast heart beat. For these
patients, staying on beta blockers before and after surgery makes it less likely
that they will have heart problems.
The chart above shows how often patients were given beta blockers during the time just before and after their
surgery.