[Pindolol in myocardial infarction patients: (author's transl)]

Exercise tests were performed in 521 post-infarction patients to consider the acute effect of 5 mg pindolol orally. The main results are: In patients with an initial heart rate(HR) of more than 68 beats/min the HR at rest was reduced. This reduction was more pronounced the higher the initial HR. With HR below 68 beats/min there was a slight increase due to the intrinsic sympathomimetic activity of pindolol. In exercise testing the decrease in HR also correlated positively with the initial values. During the first test run (i. e. without pindolol) angina pectoris was observed in 88 patients. 70% of these patients showed an improvement or total disappearance of angina when pretreated with pindolol. Without medication, 66 patients showed ventricular extrasystoles which diminished or disappeared in 40 after pindolol.