# Association between the use of β-adrenergic receptor blockers and all-cause mortality in sepsis-associated rhabdomyolysis syndrome: a cohort study

## TL;DR

This study finds that using beta-blockers is linked to lower in-hospital death rates in patients with sepsis-associated rhabdomyolysis.

## Contribution

The novel finding is that beta-blocker use is significantly associated with reduced mortality in sepsis-associated rhabdomyolysis.

## Key findings

- Beta-blocker use was significantly associated with lower in-hospital mortality in sepsis-associated rhabdomyolysis.
- Sensitivity and subgroup analyses confirmed the robustness of the association between beta-blockers and reduced mortality.
- The study used propensity score matching to adjust for confounding factors and found consistent results.

## Abstract

To assess the association between the use of β-blockers and all-cause mortality in Sepsis-associated Rhabdomyolysis (SAR).

This retrospective cohort study involves adults with SAR. Study variables were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted at a 1:1 ratio to analyze the association between the use of β-blockers and in-hospital mortality in SAR. Multivariable analysis was employed to adjust for confounding factors, while sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted to demonstrate the robustness of the results.

This study involved pre-matched and propensity score-matched cohorts comprising 1,194 and 584 patients, respectively. Through propensity score matching (PSM) analysis, this study observed a notable difference in in-hospital mortality rates. Importantly, the utilization of β-blockers was found to be significantly associated with lower in-hospital all-cause mortality. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses conducted on the entire cohort, as well as cohorts excluding patients with specific comorbidities, consistently demonstrated a significant association between β-blocker usage and lower in-hospital mortality. Subgroup analyses further underscored the robustness of the findings.

The use of β-blockers was associated with lower mortality in patients with SAR. However, prospective studies are needed to validate this finding.