Abstract

Patients discharged from hospital after a myocardial infarction have a mortality rate of about 8% over the ensuing year.^{1 2} Attempts to reduce this rate by weight reduction, lowering raised cholesterol and/or increasing physical exercise have failed. The risks are probably reduced in smokers who stop smoking³ and now evidence from two prospective double-blind trials suggests that they are also reduced by the prophylactic use of a β-blocker.^{4 5}