For four decades, beta blockers have been a go-to medication for individuals following a heart attack. However, a recent study indicates that these drugs may not offer clinical advantages for patients who experienced an uncomplicated myocardial infarction and have preserved heart function.

The findings come from the “REBOOT Trial,” led by senior investigator Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, President of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and General Director of Spain’s Centro nacional de Investigaciones cardiovasculares (CNIC). The study,presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid and published in The New England Journal of Medicine,challenges the long-standing treatment approach.

A substudy of the REBOOT Trial, published in the European Heart Journal, revealed that women who were administered beta blockers faced a higher risk of death, heart attack, or hospitalization for heart failure compared to those who did not receive the medication. This increased risk was not observed in men.