Carvedilol: the new role of beta blockers in congestive heart failure.
The prognosis remains poor for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), despite reduced mortality rates resulting from the addition of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors to traditional treatment regimens. Because much of the myocardial damage that occurs in patients with CHF may be related to sympathetic activation, interest in the use of beta blockers has grown. Recent studies have shown the benefits of beta blocker therapy in many patients with heart failure. Carvedilol, the first beta blocker labeled in the United States specifically for the treatment of heart failure, has been shown to improve left ventricular ejection fraction and may reduce mortality.
Vanderhoff
B T
BT
Grant Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Ruppel
H M
HM
Amsterdam
P B
PB
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002227:Carbazoles / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077261:Carvedilol; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D002227:Carbazoles; D011412:Propanolamines; D000077261:Carvedilol