- Beta-blockers are a class of medications used to lower blood pressure commonly prescribed after myocardial infarction (heart attack).
- Researchers conducted a large trial to determine whether beta-blockers provide benefits in people with preserved ejection fraction after a heart attack.
- The findings show that beta-blockers had no significant benefit following a heart attack in people with normal heart function.
Heart attacks are a leading cause of death, and according to the
Researchers based in Sweden conducted a trial to determine whether the standard practice of prescribing beta-blockers after a heart attack improved the risk of a future cardiovascular event or death.
Prescribing beta-blockers in this circumstance is a common practice, but the researchers say the practice may be outdated.
In the REDUCE-AMI trial, the scientists randomly assigned participants to receive a beta-blocker after they were diagnosed with preserved ejection fraction following a heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction.
The findings showed no significant difference in cardiovascular outcomes between the beta-blockers group and the no-beta-blockers group.
The trial abstract appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Beta-blockers are commonly prescribed following a heart attack to reduce the risk of a subsequent cardiovascular event.
A heart attack occurs when a blockage in a coronary artery causes a lack of blood flow to part of the heart. Typically, coronary heart disease, a buildup of plaque in the arteries, causes heart attacks.
While heart attacks are sometimes “silent,” the
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- pain in other areas of the body, such as the arms and back
- nausea
One measurement of heart health is a person’s ejection fraction — this refers to how well the left ventricle of the heart pushes out blood. If…
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