Carvedilol Reduced MI in Patients with Previous Acute MI

This year’s Update in Cardiology focuses on heart fail-ure, acute coronary syndromes, hypertension, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering. The newer clinical trials in these fields are changing approaches to cardiac care. Heart Failure Several recent trials have confirmed the value of -blockers and showed that internal defibrillation and ventricular re-synchronization significantly reduce mortality in post– myocardial infarction (MI) patients. However, physicians should not allow these new developments to distract them from adhering to proven treatments for patients with heart failure. A recent study of 180 community hospitals nation-wide showed that drugs of proven effectiveness in reducing heart failure mortality, such as -blockers, were not being used in many patients with heart failure