The efficacy of carvedilol in the treatment of congestive heart failure in the elderly

Objective To evaluate the safety and clinical efficacy of carvedilol in the treatment of congestive heart failure(CHF) in elder patients.Methods Forty five elderly patients with CHF were devided randomly into CHF treatment group(group Ⅰ,n=22) and carvedilol treatment group(group Ⅱ,n=23).The conventional therapy was given to the patients in group Ⅰ.In group Ⅱ,carvedilol was added to the conventional therapy as in group Ⅰ,which was titrated from a low dose to a maximal tolelance dose for 6 morths.Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),Left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),Left ventricular eject fraction(LVEF) and 6-minute walk distance were measured before and after 3,6 months treatment respectively.Results After treatment,LVEDD and LVESD in group Ⅱ were significantly decreased compared with those in group Ⅰ.The increase of LVEF and 6-minute walk distance in group Ⅱ was greater than that in group Ⅰ.There were no severe side effects found in group Ⅱ.Conclusion On the basis of conventional therapy of CHF,addition of even smaller dose of carvedilol could ameliorate cardiac function,reduce cardiac chamber and improve myocardium remodeling,and increase exercise capability in the elderly patients with CHF.