N Engl J Med

ESC 2024: Is it safe to stop beta-blockers in MI patients?

September 6, 2024

Patients with a history of MI who stopped beta-blocker treatment had a higher rate of CV hospitalization, an increase in BP and heart rate, and no improvement in quality of life. These findings were presented at the recent European Society of Cardiology Congress.

• In the randomized ABYSS trial conducted at 49 sites in France, 3,698 patients with a history of MI were randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to interruption or continuation of beta-blocker treatment.
• Composite of death, MI, stroke, or hospitalization for CV reasons was the primary end point while change in quality of life was the secondary end point. Median time between the last MI and randomization was 2.9 years and the median follow-up was 3.0 years.
• A primary-outcome event occurred more often in the interruption group than in the continuation group (23.8% vs. 21.1%; hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.33). Stopping beta-blockers didn’t improve patients' quality of life.

Source:

Silvain J, et al; ABYSS Investigators of the ACTION Study Group. (2024, August 30). N Engl J Med. Beta-Blocker Interruption or Continuation after Myocardial Infarction. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39213187/