Routine use of beta blockers in MI patients without heart failure is questioned

Patients who have had a myocardial infarction (MI) but do not have heart failure or left ventricular systolic dysfunction do not seem to benefit from beta blockers, a large UK study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found.1

Current UK guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommend that beta blockers are prescribed to all patients who have had an MI, irrespective of the amount of damage done to the heart muscle.2

The study found that beta blocker use was not associated with lower all cause mortality in the following year among patients with MI but without heart failure or systolic dysfunction. …