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CARDIOVASCULAR ANESTHESIA

Calcium Channel Blockers for Reducing Cardiac Morbidity After Noncardiac Surgery: A Meta-Analysis

Duminda N. Wijeysundera, MD^*, and W. Scott Beattie, MD PhD, FRCPC

From the *Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, and the Department of Anesthesia, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. W. Scott Beattie, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, EN 3–453, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada. Address email to scott.beattie{at}uhn.on.ca

Cardiac complications are the leading cause of death after noncardiac surgery. Despite theoretical benefits, calcium channel blockers (CCB) are not widely used in the perioperative setting. This systematic review assessed the efficacy of CCBs during noncardiac surgery. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, PubMed, and reference lists were searched without language restriction for randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluating CCBs during noncardiac surgery. Two reviewers independently abstracted data on death, myocardial infarction (MI), ischemia, supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (SVT), and congestive heart failure (CHF). Treatment effects were calculated as relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Eleven studies (1007 patients) were included. CCBs significantly reduced ischemia (RR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.30–0.80; P = 0.004) and SVT (RR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.37–0.72; P < 0.0001). CCBs were associated with trends towards reduced death and MI. In post hoc analyses, CCBs significantly reduced death/MI (RR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.15–0.86; P = 0.02) and major morbid events (MME), defined as death, MI, or CHF (RR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.17–0.89; P = 0.02). In subgroup analyses, diltiazem significantly reduced ischemia, SVT, death/MI, and MMEs. This meta-analysis shows CCBs significantly reduced ischemia, SVT, and combined end-points in the setting of noncardiac surgery. The majority of these benefits are attributable to diltiazem, suggesting the need for further evaluation of this drug in a large RCT.

IMPLICATIONS: This meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of calcium channel-blockers (CCB) for preventing cardiac complications after noncardiac surgery. Eleven relevant randomized controlled trials were identified. Overall, CCBs reduced major cardiac morbid events, with most benefits being attributable to diltiazem.

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