The impact of long‐term antihypertensive treatment on wound healing after major non‐cardiac surgery in patients with cardiovascular diseases: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

AbstractHypertension is a prevalent condition that poses significant challenges in the perioperative management of patients undergoing major non‐cardiac surgery, particularly concerning wound healing and scar formation. This meta‐analysis assesses the impact of long‐term antihypertensive treatment on postoperative wound healing, examining data from seven studies involving patients who received such treatments compared to untreated controls. Our findings reveal that long‐term antihypertensive therapy is associated with significantly improved wound healing outcomes, as indicated by lower REEDA scores (I2 = 96%, SMD = −25.71, 95% CI: [−33.71, −17.70], p < 0.01) 1 week post‐surgery and reduced scar formation, demonstrated by lower Manchester Scar Scale scores (I2 = 93%, SMD = −37.29, 95% CI: [−44.93, −29.64], p < 0.01) 2 months post‐surgery. These results underscore the potential benefits of antihypertensive treatment in enhancing surgical recovery and offer insights into optimising perioperative care for hypertensive patients.