Beta Blockers and COPD

Beta Blockers and COPD

Background

Title

The title for the article is Effect of ß blockers in treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a retrospective cohort study.

Affiliation and Funding

The article is written by a joint effort of five authors namely

Philip M Short, clinical research fellow at University of Dundee

Samuel I W Lipworth, a medical student at University of St. Andrews Scotland

Douglas H J Elder, a clinical research fellow at Centre for Cardiovascular and Lung Biology, Division of Medical Sciences University of Dundee

Stuart Schembri, respiratory physician at Department of Respiratory Medicine, Scotland

Brian J Lipworth, professor of Respiratory Medicine at University of Dundee

The funding for the study has been provided by the University of Dundee having no influence on the overall processing of the study. The university despite the affiliation of researchers did not exert any powers on the conduct of study and thus help to maintain an ethical quality of the study.

Background

Beta blockers have been proved to be beneficial in the treatment of hypertension and heart diseases. The recommendation of beta blockers use has been avoided by the doctors in the case of contemporary COPD patients. Because of the acute bronchospasm concerns, the use of Beta blockers have been avoided among the COPD patients. The use of beta blockers remains debatable in the case of its use among the COPD Patients. Except for the treatment with tiotropium, any treatment combinations have failed to show the way any improvement in the mortality rate can be brought about by beta blockers use. The authors under the light of this complete scenario conducted the study in order to examine the beta blockers use.

Previous Trials

Citation: (Rutten, Zuithoff, Hak, Grobbee, & Hoes, 2010)

The previous conducted trails have ascertained that a reduction in mortality treatment can be observed by the use of beta blockers, but they all failed to assess the benefits when beta blockers are combined with other treatment for the concurrent COPD patients. A study in the similar regard has provided with a conclusion that the individuals who were previously provide with two or more pulmonary drugs are the ones among whom the beta blockers can be well kept and show an element of reduction in mortality. However, the analysis failed to stratify patients in a schedule of stepwise treatment.

Study rationale

The study is based on the rationale to assess the benefits that are associated with the use of beta blockers in the case of COPD patients to show that whether its use supports the treatment of COPD patients.

Study Overview

Objectives and Hypothesis for study

The objectives for the conduct of this study is to assess the effect that ß blockers have on the COPD management along with the elements of mortality, exacerbations and the admissions in hospital when combined together to establish a COPD treatment. The objectives lead to the establishment of hypothesis that the use of ß blockers can reduce the mortality rate and thus must be used in patients with COPD (Short, Lipworth, Elder, Schembri, & Lipworth, ...