Beta-Adrenergic Blockade after Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

The large international trial of practolol¹ and the smaller Swedish study of alprenolol² suggested that the number of cardiac deaths after myocardial infarction could be reduced by long-term beta blockade. Why, then, have physicians been reluctant to use beta blockers routinely for this purpose? Part of the reluctance undoubtedly came from the unfortunate side effects of practolol, which led to its eventual withdrawal. The alprenolol trial was small, and later trials of propranolol³ and other beta blockers apparently failed to confirm the results obtained with practolol. I use the word "apparently" because in retrospect most of these trials were too . . .