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If you or a loved one are possible candidates for heart surgery to bypass clogged arteries, you will be interested in recently published data about pre-surgery medication.

Giving patients a class of drugs called beta blockers before surgery improves survival rates, according to Duke University cardiologist Dr. Eric Peterson.

"In our large observational analysis," said Dr. Peterson, who conducted the study with Louisiana State University heart surgeon T. Bruce Ferguson, "this effect was seen in all types of patients, and those patients who were the sickest received the greatest benefit."

Experts say that about 60 percent of bypass patients currently receive beta-blocker drugs before surgery. Beta blockers inhibit the "fight-or-flight" hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine and are commonly used to help treat high blood pressure, chest pain and heartbeat irregularities.

"It appears that beta blockers 'soak up' or neutralize the increased amount of stress hormones the body secretes in response to the act of surgery," explained Dr. Peterson.

Specifically, those on beta blockers had a 30-day mortality rate of 2.8 percent, compared to 3.4 percent for patients who were not. In addition, patients taking the drugs spent less time on mechanical ventilation after surgery and experienced fewer kidney problems.

The investigators believe that all patients scheduled to undergo bypass surgery--except for those whose hearts are severely weakened -- should receive beta-blocker therapy before surgery.

The timing of giving beta blockers is not particularly crucial, Dr. Peterson said. Patients who are on beta blockers prior to surgery would derive the protective benefit, while those not taking the drugs could be given the drug shortly before surgery.

"These results," the researchers concluded, "should provide a scientific basis for everyone involved in a patient's care to make sure they receive beta blockers before surgery."

Commonly prescribed beta blockers include metoprolol (Lopressor), propranolol (Inderal), and atenolol (Tenormin). A new study shows that the drugs are less likely than previously thought to cause depression, fatigue, and sexual dysfunction.