TY - JOUR T1 - Carvedilol reduced mortality and hospital admission in severe chronic heart failure, regardless of pretreatment systolic BP JF - Evidence Based Medicine JO - Evid Based Med SP - 9 LP - 9 DO - 10.1136/ebm.10.1.9 VL - 10 IS - 1 A2 - , Y1 - 2005/02/01 UR - http://ebm.bmj.com/content/10/1/9.abstract N2 - Rouleau JL, Roecker EB, Tendera M, et al. Influence of pretreatment systolic blood pressure on the effect of carvedilol in patients with severe chronic heart failure: the Carvedilol Prospective Randomized Cumulative Survival (COPERNICUS) study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;43:1423–9.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science 
 
 Q How does pretreatment systolic blood pressure (SBP) affect the efficacy and safety of carvedilol in patients with severe chronic heart failure (HF)? Clinical impact ratings IM/Ambulatory care ★★★★★★★ Internal medicine ★★★★★★★ Cardiology ★★★★★★☆ Design: randomised controlled trial (Carvedilol Prospective Randomized Cumulative Survival [COPERNICUS] study). Allocation: concealed.* Blinding: blinded (patients and outcome assessors).* Follow up period: mean 10.4 months at early termination of study. Setting: 334 centres in 21 countries. Patients: 2289 patients (mean age 63 y, 80% men) with severe chronic HF because of ischaemic or non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy; ⩾2 months of dyspnoea or fatigue at rest or on minimal exertion; left ventricular ejection fraction <25%; and SBP >85 mm Hg. Exclusion criteria: correctable cause of HF; heart transplant; severe primary pulmonary, renal, or hepatic disease; contraindications to β blockers; major cardiac event within 2 months; use of α adrenergic blockers, calcium channel blockers, or class I antiarrhythmic drugs within 4 weeks; heart rate <68 beats/minute, serum creatinine concentration >2.8 mg/dl or an increase … ER -