Ever since beta-blockers were pharmaceutically introduced, there loomed a cloud of doubt over their therapeutic safety. Whether beta-blockers can be used liberally for a range of cardiovascular diseases or not has been a persistent question for physicians and cardiologists across the globe. Though research supports the use of beta-blockers in patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) and decreased ejection fraction, the question remains: is there sufficient evidence to endorse liberal use of beta-blockers in conditions like coronary artery disease (CAD) or its risk equivalents?
Fortunately, these are the times of evidence based medicine where everything is put into question before use. It is therefore reasonable to question the continuance of beta-blockers without sufficient supporting data from clinical trials. And had it not been for the findings of the CHARISMA trial,…
