Results of sensitivity analyses comparing cardioselective BB versus non-DHP CCB initiators in three US databases*
| Type of analysis | Main analysis† | Sensitivity analysis | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS matching caliper of 0.005 | Asymmetric PS trimming | hd-PS with additional 100 empirical covariates | Restricting to high-risk patients | ||
| Database | HR after PS matching (95% CI) | ||||
| All-cause mortality | |||||
| US Optum | 1.05 (0.65 to 1.68) | 1.06 (0.65 to 1.73) | 0.92 (0.54 to 1.56) | 1.02 (0.61 to 1.72) | 1.11 (0.53 to 2.33) |
| US PACE | 0.86 (0.76 to 0.98) | 0.85 (0.75 to 0.97) | 0.85 (0.74 to 0.97) | 0.86 (0.76 to 0.99) | 0.91 (0.73 to 1.14) |
| US PAAD | 1.12 (0.93 to 1.36) | 1.13 (0.93 to 1.36) | 1.00 (0.82 to 1.23) | 1.16 (0.95 to 1.40) | 1.02 (0.73 to 1.42) |
| Summary estimate | 0.98 (0.80 to 1.21) | 0.98 (0.78 to 1.23) | 0.90 (0.80 to 1.00) | 0.99 (0.78 to 1.26) | 0.95 (0.80 to 1.14) |
| CV hospitalisations | |||||
| US Optum | 0.96 (0.59 to 1.56) | 0.92 (0.56 to 1.49) | 0.81 (0.48 to 1.38) | 0.99 (0.60 to 1.65) | 0.70 (0.31 to 1.62) |
| US PACE | 1.03 (0.87 to 1.22) | 1.03 (0.86 to 1.22) | 1.02 (0.85 to 1.23) | 1.01 (0.84 to 1.21) | 1.03 (0.76 to 1.39) |
| US PAAD | 1.30 (1.03 to 1.65) | 1.33 (1.04 to 1.69) | 1.31 (1.01 to 1.69) | 1.10 (0.86 to 1.43) | 1.31 (0.82 to 2.10) |
| Summary estimate | 1.11 (0.94 to 1.32) | 1.11 (0.91 to 1.36) | 1.08 (0.87 to 1.35) | 1.04 (0.90 to 1.19) | 1.06 (0.83 to 1.35) |
| COPD hospitalisations | |||||
| US Optum | 0.54 (0.37 to 0.87) | 0.59 (0.35 to 0.97) | 0.67 (0.37 to 1.23) | 0.77 (0.44 to 1.34) | 0.61 (0.30 to 1.22) |
| US PACE | 0.51 (0.39 to 0.67) | 0.52 (0.40 to 0.67) | 0.50 (0.37 to 0.66) | 0.61 (0.46–0.80) | 0.56 (0.39 to 0.81) |
| US PAAD | 0.45 (0.32 to 0.62) | 0.46 (0.33 to 0.64) | 0.36 (0.25 to 0.51) | 0.59 (0.41 to 0.84) | 0.52 (0.31 to 0.88) |
| Summary estimate | 0.50 (0.41 to 0.69) | 0.51 (0.42 to 0.61) | 0.47 (0.35 to 0.64) | 0.62 (0.51 to 0.76) | 0.56 (0.42 to 0.73) |
*Based on the analysis that considered first exposure carried forward.
†Main analysis used maximum PS matching caliper of 0.01, no PS trimming and a predefined PS model.
BBs, β blockers; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CV, cardiovascular; DHP CCBs, dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers; hd, high dimensional; NHI, National Health Insurance; PAAD, Pharmacy Assistance for the Aged and Disabled; PACE, Pharmacy Assistance Contract for the Elderly; PS, propensity score; RER, Emilia-Romagna Region.