| Characteristic | β blockers(N = 142) | No β blockers(N = 683) | p Value |
| Age (years)* | 68 (11) | 65 (13) | 0.01 |
| Female | 71 (50) | 344 (50) | 1 |
| Caucasian race | 82 (58) | 429 (63) | 0.30 |
| Number of prior admissions for AECOPD* | 1.4 (1.1) | 1.6 (1.6) | 0.10 |
| Mean length of stay (days)* | 7.8 (12.9) | 5.3 (7.3) | 0.001 |
| Deyo-Charlson index* | 2.4 (1.3) | 1.9 (1.4) | <0.001 |
| Co-morbidities | |||
| Cardiovascular disease | 87 (61) | 219 (32) | <0.001 |
| Myocardial infarction | 22 (15) | 48 (7) | 0.002 |
| Congestive heart failure | 71 (50) | 157 (23) | <0.001 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 11 (8) | 36 (5) | 0.34 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 12 (8) | 22 (3) | 0.01 |
| Malignancy | 5 (4) | 35 (5) | 0.55 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 36 (25) | 126 (18) | 0.08 |
| Chronic renal insufficiency | 10 (7) | 52 (8) | 0.86 |
| Chronic liver disease | 2 (1) | 11 (2) | 1 |
| Current smoking | 78 (55) | 363 (53) | 0.76 |
| Respiratory failure | 24 (17) | 85 (12) | 0.20 |
| Admitted to pulmonary specialist service | 82 (58) | 404 (59) | 0.82 |
| In-hospital mortality | 8 (6) | 35 (5) | 0.83 |
AECOPD, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Data are shown as *mean (SD) or n (%).