Background: Perioperative myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery is associated with postoperative mortality. Heart rate (HR) is an independent risk factor for perioperative myocardial injury. In this pilot trial we tested the feasibility of a randomised, placebo-controlled trial of personalised HR-targeted perioperative ivabradine.

Methods: This was a single-centre, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, feasibility pilot trial conducted at Geneva University Hospitals. We included patients ≥75 yr old or ≥45 yr old with cardiovascular risk factors planned for intermediate- or high-risk surgery. Patients were randomised to receive ivabradine (2.5, 5.0, or 7.5 mg) or placebo according to their HR, twice daily, from the morning of surgery until postoperative day 2. Primary outcomes were appropriate dosage and blinding success rates.

Results: Between October 2020 and January 2022, we randomised 78 patients (recruitment rate of 1.3 patients week^-1). Some 439 of 444 study drug administrations were adequate (99% appropriate dosage rate). The blinding success rate was 100%. There were 137 (31%) administrations of Pill A (placebo in both groups for HR ≤70 beats min^-1). Nine (11.5%) patients had a high-sensitive cardiac troponin T elevation ≥14 ng L^-1 between any two measurements. The number of bradycardia episodes was eight in the placebo group and nine in the ivabradine group.

Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of, and provides guidance for, a future trial testing the efficacy of personalised perioperative ivabradine. Future studies should include patients at higher risk of cardiac complications.