Table 1.
Demographics and clinical characteristics of medicare patients diagnosed with sepsis by beta blocker prescription (n = 6839).
| BBRxa (n = 2838) | NORxb (n = 4001) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female Gender, N (%) | 1836 (65) | 2517 (63) | 0.13 |
| Age group (years), N (%) | 0.11 | ||
| 65–74 | 902 (32) | 1230 (31) | |
| 75–84 | 1131 (40) | 1541 (39) | |
| ≥85 | 805 (28) | 1230 (31) | 0.01 |
| Race, N (%) | |||
| Non-Hispanic White | 2192 (77) | 2980 (74) | |
| Black | 299 (11) | 530 (13) | |
| Hispanic | 191 (6.7) | 296 (7.4) | |
| Asian | 120 (4.2) | 143 (3.6) | |
| Other | 36 (1.3) | 52 (1.3) | |
| Class of Beta-Blocker Prescribed | |||
| Cardioselective | 2051 (73) | – | |
| Nonselective | 762 (27) | – | |
| Elixhauser comorbidity index | <0.0001 | ||
| Elixhauser Index = 0 | 197 (6.9) | 470 (11.7) | |
| Elixhauser Index = 1 | 46 (1.6) | 125 (3.1) | |
| Elixhauser Index = 2 | 77 (2.7) | 216 (5.4) | |
| Elixhauser Index = 3 | 171 (6.0) | 339 (8.5) | |
| Elixhauser Index ≥ 4 | 2347 (83) | 2851 (71) | |
| Cardiac comorbidities, N (%) | |||
| History of MI | 209 (7.4) | 96 (2.4) | <0.0001 |
| Ischemic heart disease | 947 (33) | 597 (15) | <0.0001 |
| Hypertension | 1620 (57) | 1682 (42) | <0.0001 |
| Congestive heart failure | 966 (34) | 739 (18) | <0.0001 |
| Non-cardiac Comorbidities, N (%) | |||
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 799 (28) | 1006 (25) | 0.01 |
| Renal failure | 537 (19) | 464 (12) | <0.0001 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 830 (29) | 855 (21) | <0.0001 |
| Cancer (solid and metastatic) | 208 (7.3) | 306 (7.6) | 0.622 |
All numbers are % (n) unless otherwise stated.
a
These patients were identified via Medicare Part D records to have been filling a prescription for a beta-blocker through the hospital admission date. Groups are the same for all tables.
b
These patients have never been on a beta-blocker per Part D records. Groups are the same for all tables.