A major international trial has found that beta blockers provide no benefit for patients who suffer uncomplicated heart attacks but retain normal heart function. The REBOOT trial results challenge decades of standard medical practice. Women in the study faced higher risks when taking the drugs.
The REBOOT trial enrolled 8505 patients across 109 hospitals in Spain and Italy. Participants were randomly assigned to receive beta blockers or avoid them after hospital discharge, while all received modern standard care. Researchers followed them for a median of nearly four years and found no significant reduction in death, repeat heart attacks, or heart failure hospitalizations among those with preserved heart function.
