Abstract
Intravenous beta blockers have proven to be a reliable class of medications in treating tachyarrhythmias of various underlying causes and in managing severe hypertension. There is an ever-growing number of indications for the use of beta blockers, since the vast majority of medical emergencies result in extreme catecholamine secretion, leading to associated side-effects.
These side-effects can be prevented by using beta blockers. Recent findings support the idea that beta blockers can be beneficial in sepsis, shock, acute heart failure, trauma, thermal trauma, and other medical emergencies associated with tachycardia or tachyarrhythmia.
Beta blockers can be highly beneficial even in the case of cardiac arrest when caused by ventricular arrhythmia. Overall, beta blockers reduce the incidence of arrhythmias and improve hemodynamic and some metabolic parameters, resulting in a lower mortality rate, shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and hospitalization due to medical emergencies, improved recovery from mechanical trauma and thermal trauma, as well as improved neurological outcome in cardiac arrest patients.
New ultrashort-acting and highly β1-selective beta blockers have given rise to further opportunities. The following review deals with the well- and less well-known indications for the use of intravenous beta blockers in acute cardiology and presents practical instructions for their use.