Early intravenous beta blockade in acute myocardial infarction.

In the critical period during which ischemia progresses to infarction, beta-blocking drugs are known to reduce oxygen demand and prevalence of arrhythmia. To investigate whether this treatment confers clinical benefits, 28 trials have been conducted involving some 27,500 patients during the early hours after onset of symptoms suggesting acute myocardial infarction (MI). Patients were randomized to receive either initial intravenous beta blocker …