What's New Heart News Carvedilol and metoprolol equally effective for heart failure patients HeartInfo Commentary Beta blockers have been used for a long time to treat angina, heart attack and high blood pressure. Over the past five years several independent studies have shown that patients with heart failure benefit from this class of drugs.
Beta blockers can exacerbate the symptoms of heart failure in some patients.
They may also protect against a number of arrhythmia disturbances. A larger trial may be required to confirm these results. However, carvedilol has a greater effect on reducing blood pressure. The patients were already on standard therapy of either diuretics, digoxin, or ACE inhibitors. Patients with a history of valvular heart disease, unstable angina or ventricular arrhythmias were excluded from the study.