Results of the ATLAS study. High or low doses of ACE inhibitors for heart failure?

In a large, randomized study, patients with heart failure who received a large daily dose of an angiotensin-converting inhibitor had a trend toward a lower mortality rate than did patients who received a low daily dose. Moreover, the hospitalization rate was lower in the high-dose group, and the side-effect profile was the same in both groups. Physicians should try to give maximal doses to achieve optimum benefit in this patient population.