BMJ : British medical journal
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Multicenter Study
Beta blockers for elective surgery in elderly patients: population based, retrospective cohort study.
To test whether atenolol (a long acting beta blocker) and metoprolol (a short acting beta blocker) are associated with equivalent reductions in risk for elderly patients undergoing elective surgery. ⋯ Patients receiving metoprolol do not have as low a perioperative cardiac risk as patients receiving atenolol, in accord with possible acute withdrawal after missed doses.