Emerging trends in the management of heart failure: Beta blocker therapy

There is overwhelming evidence that beta blocker therapy in the form of metoprolol, bisoprolol, and carvedilol can have positive outcomes on morbidity, mortality, and quality of life in patients who have been diagnosed with mild to severe heart failure. Barring contraindications, beta blockers should be considered a cornerstone of therapy for these patients along with ACE inhibitors and diuretics. Beta blocking drugs are effective in modifying the cascade of events that occur as a result of the neurohormonal response that leads to the devastating effects evident during heart failure. Long-term effects of beta blockade include an increase in cardiac output, an increase in exercise tolerance, a decrease in the number of hospitalizations, and an overall improvement in symptoms.