Propranolol in the Prevention of First Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Hemorrhage in Patients with Cirrhosis of the Liver and Esophageal Varices

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Abstract
We conducted a prospective, randomized, multicenter, single-blind trial of propranolol as compared with placebo in the prevention of first upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding in patients with cirrhosis of the liver. A total of 230 patients (90 percent with alcoholism and 46 percent with a Child–Pugh grade C classification) with large esophageal varices without previous bleeding were randomly assigned to receive either propranolol (n = 118) or placebo (n = 112), after they had been divided into two groups according to the severity of their liver disease. The end points of the study were bleeding and death. The dose of propranolol was progressively increased to decrease the heart rate by 20 to 25 percent. The final doses were 40 mg of conventional propranolol and 160 and 320 mg of long-acting propranolol daily in 22 percent, 60 percent, and 18 percent of patients, respectively.