Clinical Reminders Attached to Echocardiography Reports of Patients With Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Increase Use of β-Blockers
2007; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 115; Issue: 22 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1161/circulationaha.106.684753
ISSN1524-4539
AutoresPaul A. Heidenreich, Parisa Gholami, Anju Sahay, Barry M. Massie, Mary K. Goldstein,
Tópico(s)Cardiac pacing and defibrillation studies
ResumoAlthough beta-blockers are known to prolong survival for patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, they are often underused. We hypothesized that a reminder attached to the echocardiography report would increase the use of beta-blockers for patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.We randomized 1546 consecutive patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction 1 laboratory (n=6). The primary outcome was a prescription for an oral beta-blocker between 1 and 9 months after randomization. The mean age of the 1271 included patients was 69 years; 60% had a history of heart failure, and 51% were receiving treatment with beta-blockers at the time of echocardiography. More patients randomized to the reminder had a subsequent beta-blocker prescription (74%, 458 of 621) compared with those randomized to no reminder (66%, 428 of 650; P=0.002). The effect of the reminder was not significantly different for subgroups based on patient location (inpatient versus outpatient) or prior use of beta-blockers.A reminder attached to the echocardiography report increased the use of beta-blockers in patients with depressed left ventricular systolic function.
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