Main description:

The idea of using beta-blockers as a treatment for ventricular fibrillation occurred to James Black over 60 years ago. He developed propranolol and cimetidine, among other pharmacologic agents, work for which he won the Nobel Prize in 1988. Beta-blockers were reported to lower blood pressure by Brian Pritchard in 1964, and he and John Cruickshank wrote Beta-blockers in Clinical Practice, a major early text on the subject, shortly thereafter in 1967.

The role of beta-blockers has expanded over the years, as they have demonstrated their efficacy for treating several conditions affecting cardiovascular health. This book, The Beta-Blocker Story, offers an update on the role of beta-blockers in cardiovascular medicine. It will be an invaluable resource for cardiologists, internists, medical students, and personnel working in pharmaceutical companies.

Here, the role of beta-blockers is reviewed in the treatment of the following conditions:

Ischemic heart disease.
Post-myocardial infarction.
Heart failure.
Dysrhythmias.
Hypertension.

Contents:

Preface.
Introduction.
Chapter 1: Ischemic Heart Disease and the Post-myocardial Infarction Period
Beta-blockers and the post-myocardial infarction period. Beta-blockers and angina pectoris/chronic ischemia. Beta blockers and the atheromataous process. Summary and Conclusions. References.
Chapter 2. Heart Failure
Introduction. Beta-blockers and mortality in systolic heart failure (HFREF). Mechanism of action of BBs in systolic heart failure. Diastolic Heart Failure (normal ejection fraction) - HFNEF. Prevention of Heart Failure. Summary and Conclusions. References.
Chapter 3. Dysrhythmias
Introduction. Supraventricular Dysrhythmias. Ventricular Dysrhythmias. Summary and Conclusions. References.
Chapter 4. Hypertension
Introduction. Essential hypertension, obesity, sympathetic nervous activity, and prognostic/treatment implications. Role of beta-blockers in the treatment of hypertension. Beta-blockers and prevention of stroke and all-cause death in young/middle-aged hypertensive subjects. Choice of beta-blocker. Summary and Conclusions. References.
Chapter 5. The Heart Rate Factor
Introduction. Normal population. Patients with coronary artery disease. Post-myocardial infarction. Patients with systolic heart failure. Hypertension. Summary and Conclusions. References.
Index.