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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1465657
This article is part of the Research Topic Mechanisms of Traumatic Brain Injury and its Pharmacotherapy View all 3 articles

Effect of β-blocker on clinical outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury: a retrospective propensity-matched study

Provisionally accepted
Yaxin Zhang Yaxin Zhang 1Liu Tingting Liu Tingting 2Wenwen Ji Wenwen Ji 2Guangdong Wang Guangdong Wang 2*
  • 1 Department of Neurology, Xiamen Humanity Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
  • 2 Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a significant public health challenge due to its complex management. β-blockers may offer neuroprotective benefits, but their impact on TBI outcomes remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the effect of β-blocker use on clinical outcomes in TBI patients.Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adult TBI patients, categorized into β-blocker and non-β-blocker groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to balance baseline characteristics. Mortality was assessed through the application of multivariable Cox regression models and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Subgroup analyses examined the consistency of the results.Results: A total of 1,516 patients were included in the study, with 750 receiving βblocker therapy and 766 not receiving it. After PSM, 473 pairs of patients were matched.The analysis indicated that β-blockers significantly reduce 28-day mortality (HR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.31-0.60, P < 0.001). However, patients receiving β-blocker had considerably longer hospital stays (7.89 days vs. 5.45 days, P < 0.001) and ICU stays (2.94 days vs. 2.33 days, P < 0.001).Conclusion: β-blocker therapy is associated with improved short-term outcomes in patients with TBI, particularly in those with mild (GCS 13-15) and severe (GCS 3-8) TBI. However, no significant benefit was observed in patients with moderate TBI . This therapy may also prolong hospital and ICU stays.

    Keywords: β-blocker therapy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mortality, Propensity score matching, clinical outcomes

    Received: 10 Oct 2024; Accepted: 07 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Tingting, Ji and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Guangdong Wang, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.