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

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.