Can reduction in resting heart rate be beneficial for patients?
The relationship between resting heart rate and mortality is well documented in healthy people and patients with hypertension, heart failure, non-fatal myocardial infarction, metabolic syndrome and in old people. Resting tachycardia also contributes to reduced life length and is an important independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It therefore seems reasonable to reduce both heart rate and myocardial oxygen consumption. Simple measurement of resting heart rate can provide useful prognostic information. The most common pharmacological treatments to control heart rate are beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers (verpamil, diltiazem). At present we have a new medicine that selectively inhibits If channels located in the sinoatrial node of the myocardium and reduces only heart rate.
