In a research by New Saint Louis University, beta blockers aren't used sufficiently by heart failure patients who receive implantable cardiac devices.
The author said that if the patient fails to take beta blockers prior to implanting, a cardiac device will affect the patient’s overall outcome and survival rate.
“Current guidelines for cardiac devices stress the importance of establishing optimal therapy, which includes the use of beta blockers, before considering a patient a candidate for the invasive procedure,” said the author.
He added that sometimes taking beta blockers may improve ejection fraction to the extent that the patient no longer needs a cardiac device.
