Using beta blockers after MI in the elderly.

Data from the BHAT and the Norwegian timolol trail indicate that beta-blocking agents may provide significant benefit for the post-MI patient--regardless of the location of the infarct or the presence or absence of symptoms (ventricular arrhythmias) or risk factors (heart failure). Despite the lack of data, there is general agreement that beta blockers should be continued for at least 1 to 2 years after infarction in patients who are otherwise asymptomatic, and that these drugs should be continued indefinitely in post-MI patients with angina or hypertension who have no contraindications to beta blockers.