Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32594166›Full record

ArticleEuropace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology2020

Association of beta-blockers and first-registered heart rhythm in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: real-world data from population-based cohorts across two European countries.

Carlo A Barcella, Talip E Eroglu, Michiel Hulleman, Asger Granfeldt, Patrick C Souverein, Grimur H Mohr, Rudolph W Koster, Mads Wissenberg, Anthonius de Boer, Christian Torp-Pedersen and 5 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 44% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Association of prior beta-blocker treatment and outcome in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2026
    Observational
  2. Selected Medicines That Can Cause Cardiac Arrest with Asystole.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Carlo A BarcellaDepartment of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark.
Talip E ErogluDepartment of Cardiology, Heart Center, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Michiel HullemanDepartment of Cardiology, Heart Center, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Asger GranfeldtDepartment of Intensive Care, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Patrick C SouvereinDivision of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Grimur H MohrDepartment of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark.
Rudolph W KosterDepartment of Cardiology, Heart Center, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Mads WissenbergDepartment of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark.
Anthonius de BoerDivision of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Christian Torp-PedersenUnit of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
Fredrik FolkeDepartment of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark.
Marieke T BlomDepartment of Cardiology, Heart Center, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Gunnar H GislasonDepartment of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark.
Hanno L TanDepartment of Cardiology, Heart Center, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
ESCAPE-NET Investigators
Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam · NLUniversity of Copenhagen · DKUtrecht University · NLAalborg University Hospital · DKAarhus University Hospital · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsConflicting results have been reported regarding the effect of beta-blockers on first-registered heart rhythm in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We aimed to establish whether the use of beta-blockers influences first-registered rhythm in OHCA. METHODS AND

resultsWe included patients with OHCA of presumed cardiac cause from two large independent OHCA-registries from Denmark and the Netherlands. Beta-blocker use was defined as exposure to either non-selective beta-blockers, β1-selective beta-blockers, or α-β-dual-receptor blockers within 90 days prior to OHCA. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) for the association of beta-blockers with first-registered heart rhythm using multivariable logistic regression. We identified 23 834 OHCA-patients in Denmark and 1584 in the Netherlands: 7022 (29.5%) and 519 (32.8%) were treated with beta-blockers, respectively. Use of non-selective beta-blockers, but not β1-selective blockers, was more often associated with non-shockable rhythm than no use of beta-blockers [Denmark: OR 1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.48-2.52; the Netherlands: OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.15-5.49]. Non-selective beta-blocker use was associated with higher proportion of pulseless electrical activity (PEA) than of shockable rhythm (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.01-5.65); the association with asystole was of similar magnitude, although not statistically significant compared with shockable rhythm (OR 2.34, 95% CI 0.89-6.18; data on PEA and asystole were only available in the Netherlands). Use of α-β-dual-receptor blockers was significantly associated with non-shockable rhythm in Denmark (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.03-1.42) and not significantly in the Netherlands (OR 1.37; 95% CI 0.61-3.07).

conclusionNon-selective beta-blockers, but not β1-selective beta-blockers, are associated with non-shockable rhythm in OHCA.

Indexed as

Cardiopulmonary ResuscitationEmergency Medical ServicesOut-of-Hospital Cardiac ArrestElectric CountershockEuropeHumansNetherlandsRegistriesAsystoleBeta-blockersESCAPE-NETFirst-registered heart rhythmNon-shockable heart rhythmOut-of-hospital cardiac arrestPulseless electrical activity

Identifiers

PMID32594166
PMCPMC7400473
OpenAlexW3038070060

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.