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Beta-blockers linked with reduced mortality risk in elderly patients with HF, LV systolic dysfunction
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Elderly patients hospitalized with HF and left ventricular systolic dysfunction who received beta-blockers were at a lower risk for death and for rehospitalization in a recent study.
Researchers examining the relationship between beta-blockers and outcomes among older patients with HF merged data from the OPTIMIZE-HF trial with Medicare claims data. The researchers included data from 3,001 patients with HF and LV systolic dysfunction and 4,153 patients with HF and preserved systolic function in the analysis.
According to the results, patients in the LV systolic dysfunction cohort who were introduced to and discharged on beta-blockers were associated with lower adjusted HRs for mortality (0.77; 95% CI, 0.68-0.87) and for rehospitalization (0.89; 95% CI, 0.80-0.99) compared with the patients with preserved function. Adjusted HRs for the group with preserved function were 0.94 (95% CI, 0.84-1.07) for mortality and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.90-1.06) for rehospitalization. The rate of mortality–hospitalization was also lower in the group with LV systolic dysfunction than in the preserved function cohort (HR=0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.96 vs. HR=0.98; 95% CI, 0.91-1.06).
“These findings extend the results of randomized clinical trials of beta-blockers conducted in selected outpatients with chronic systolic HF to a diverse cohort of patients hospitalized with HF,” the researchers wrote. “Patients with HF and preserved systolic function have poor outcomes, and beta-blockers do not substantially influence the risk for death or rehospitalization in these patients.”
For more information:
- J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;53:184-192.