β-Blocker Use and Clinical Outcomes in Stable Outpatients With and Without Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Treatment with β-blockers remains the standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), especially when they have had a myocardial infarction (MI).^1,2 The evidence is derived from relatively old post-MI studies, most of which antedate modern reperfusion or medical therapy, and from heart failure trials, but has been widely extrapolated to patients with CAD and even to patients at high risk for but without established CAD. It is not known if these extrapolations are justified. Moreover, the long-term efficacy of these agents in patients treated with contemporary medical therapies is not known, even in patients with prior MI.