Why do patients fail to receive [beta]-blockers for chronic heart failure over time? A 'real-world' single-center, 2-year follow-up experience of [beta]-blocker therapy in patients with chronic heart failure

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2004.07.026 Byline: Anoop C. Parameswaran (a), W.H. Wilson Tang (b), Gary S. Francis (b), Ritesh Gupta (c), James B. Young (a)(b) Abstract: The longitudinal pattern of [beta]-blocker use in a heart-failure practice setting has not been explored. Previous studies have not specifically addressed the use of [beta]-blockers over time to determine the rate of use and reasons for discontinuation. The long-term compliance rate for [beta]-blocker drugs outside the context of a clinical trial has not been established. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio (b) Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio (c) Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala Article History: Received 20 April 2004; Accepted 30 July 2004 Article Note: (miscellaneous) This project did not receive any financial support. Drs Tang and Francis are consultants for GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals; Dr Young is a consultant for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.