Evidence Hub

Effect of long-term beta-blocker treatment following myocardial infarction among stable, optimally treated patients without heart failure in the reperfusion era: a Danish, nationwide cohort study

A. Holt, P. Blanche, B. Zareini, D. Rajan, M. El-Sheikh, A. Schjerning, M. Schou, C. Torp-Pedersen et al.

European Heart Journal, 2021

53 citations

Abstract

AIMS

Listen to the audio abstract of this contribution at https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa1058.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We aimed to investigate the long-term cardio-protective effect associated with beta-blocker (BB) treatment in stable, optimally treated myocardial infarction (MI) patients without heart failure (HF).

CONCLUSIONS

Using nationwide registries, we included patients with first-time MI undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during admission and treated with both acetyl-salicylic acid and statins post-discharge between 2003 and 2018. Patients with prior history of MI, prior BB use, or any alternative indication or contraindication for BB treatment were excluded. Follow-up began 3 months following discharge in patients alive, free of cardiovascular (CV) events or procedures. Primary outcomes were CV death, recurrent MI, and a composite outcome of CV events. We used adjusted logistic regression and reported standardized absolute risks and differences (ARD) 3 years after MI. Overall, 30 177 stable, optimally treated MI patients were included (58% acute PCI, 26% sub-acute PCI, 16% CAG without intervention). At baseline, 82% of patients were on BB treatment (median age 61 years, 75% male) and 18% were not (median age 62 years, 68% male). BB treatment was associated with a similar risk of CV death, recurrent MI, and the composite outcome of CV events compared with no BB treatment [ARD (95% confidence intervals)]…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free