Low dose beta-blockers as effective as high dose after a heart attack

In a surprising finding, heart attack patients treated with a substantially lower dosage of beta-blockers than used in earlier clinical trials showing their effectiveness survived at the same rate, or even better, than patients on the higher doses. Patients receiving one-fourth of the original clinical trial dose had up to a 25 percent decrease in mortality. About 90 percent of patients who have had a heart attack receive beta-blockers, prescribed to prevent future heart attacks.