β-blockade with nebivolol for prevention of acute ischaemic events in elderly patients with heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
This subanalysis of the Study of the Effects of Nebivolol Intervention on Outcomes and Hospitalisation in Seniors with Heart Failure (SENIORS) investigates whether treatment with nebivolol, a β-blocker with nitric oxide-releasing properties, can provide additional benefits besides its effects on heart failure (HF), by reducing cardiac ischaemic events in patients with HF of ischaemic aetiology.


METHODS
A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial of nebivolol in 2128 elderly patients.


METHODS
For this analysis, data were extracted for 2128 elderly (≥ 70 years) HF patients in whom coronary artery disease (CAD) was the underlying aetiology (68.2%; 717 placebo-treated patients and 735 assigned to nebivolol).


METHODS
The main endpoint was the composite of cardiac ischaemic events at 2 year follow-up: death/hospitalisation for myocardial infarction, unstable angina or sudden death, as originally identified in the case report form.


RESULTS
At follow-up, nebivolol treatment was associated with a one-third reduction in the risk of ischaemic events, the composite endpoint occurring in 15.9% of placebo and 10.7% of nebivolol-treated patients (HR 0.68; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.90; p=0.008). This effect was independent of age, gender and ejection fraction. No difference in this composite endpoint was observed in the subgroup of patients of non-ischaemic aetiology.


CONCLUSIONS
Nebivolol was effective in reducing cardiac ischaemic events in patients with HF of ischaemic aetiology. The prevention of ischaemic events can be an additional beneficial effect of β-blockade in HF patients with underlying CAD.
Division of Cardiology, University of Perugia School of Medicine, Perugia, Italy. giuseppe.ambrosio@ospedale.perugia.it
Giuseppe
G
Ambrosio
Marcus D
MD
Flather
Michael
M
Böhm
Alain
A
Cohen-Solal
Adriano
A
Murrone
Flavio
F
Mascagni
Giulio
G
Spinucci
Maria Giovanna
MG
Conti
Dirk J
DJ
van Veldhuisen
Luigi
L
Tavazzi
Andrew J S
AJ
Coats
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001578:Benzopyrans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D004983:Ethanolamines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000068577:Nebivolol; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D001578:Benzopyrans; D004983:Ethanolamines; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D000068577:Nebivolol