Authors' Reply

摘要

In their letter to the editor, Drs. Turgut and Tandogan [1] point out different essential aspects of the usage of beta-blockers in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Important questions have been answered by our and other studies in the past, but we agree that some questions remain to be addressed in the future by large, randomized trials.beta-Blocker treatment for hypertension has been widely questioned in the recent past [2] and they are no longer generally recommended as first-line treatment for hypertension. In our study the odds ratio for major adverse cardiac events was 0.59 for patients pre-treated with beta-blockers and 0.66 for those receiving them after hospitalization [3]. While we demonstrated a favorable in-hospital outcome for patients in these two groups (groups A and B in the original publication), beta-blocker use did not translate into a reduction of the 12-month mortality in the AMIS Plus (Acute Myocardial Infarction in Switzerland) population. Thus, our results should not be understood as call for chronic use of beta-blockers in patients at risk for ACS.