Role of beta-blockers in the treatment of chronic heart heart failure

Role of beta-blockers in the treatment of chronic heart failure has been changed over a 25-year period from contraindication to an established indication. To date, controlled clinical trials performed in more than 13,000 patients with chronic heart failure have consistently shown that the long term administration of beta-blockers is associated with significant improvement in left ventricular function, clinical symptoms, and survival. This favorable clinical trial experiences support a recommendation that beta-blockers should be used in all heart failure patients with stable symptoms due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction unless contraindicated. Ongoing beta-blocker studies address further new topics, such as treatment of elderly patients and direct comparison of different agents. Although, the use of beta-blockers for heart failure tends to increase, implementation of the experiences from the clinical trials to the everyday practice still remains a challenge.