# Beta-blockers (drug class) Drug · id `cardio:beta-blockers` · Cardiovascular Atlas · release `73130c34862e2d06` (public) > General information from published sources, not medical advice, and not reviewed by clinicians. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. The atlas's own text and curation may be reused under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/): credit the atlas, and do not use it commercially. See the atlas About page. Text quoted from a source stays under that source's own terms, given as the source's reuse\_basis. The atlas's reuse terms do not cover it. The downloads list each quotation with its source in third\_party\_quotations. Also called: Beta blockers; Adrenergic beta-antagonists Browse, organ or system: Heart Browse, condition area: Heart failure ## In plain language A class of medicines that slow the heart rate. NHLBI lists beta blockers among medicines commonly used for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and says they ease the work of pumping and can help keep heart failure from worsening over the long term. A summary of the 2022 heart failure guideline names beta blockers as one of four classes of guideline-directed medical therapy. ## Technical summary Class page. MeSH heading D000319, Adrenergic beta-Antagonists, is an exact match. The NHLBI treatment page (last updated March 24, 2022) groups beta blockers with ivabradine and lists slow or irregular heart rate among the possible side effects of the group; the page does not separate beta blockers. No member substance is recorded in this area of the atlas yet, and no trial of a beta blocker is recorded here. NHLBI content is cite only, so this atlas states it in its own words. ## Claims, with the population each applies to ## Context: People with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (NHLBI treatment page) Recipient: Recipient not specified; Population: People with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, as the NHLBI treatment page describes the group of left-sided heart failure that its medicines list is for. The page gives no age limits and no ejection fraction cut-off on this page.; Care setting: Not stated; the page is patient information about treatment.; Geography: United States (an NIH institute page; the page names no jurisdiction); Life stage: Not stated on the page; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not applicable (guideline context) ### NHLBI lists beta blockers among medicines that slow the heart rate, which it says eases the work of pumping and can help keep heart failure from worsening over the long term. It names these medicines among those commonly used for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. For the group of rate-slowing medicines, which also includes ivabradine, it lists possible side effects including a heart rate that is slow or uneven. - Category: Description - Evidence stage: Guidance - Certainty: Certainty not assessed - Applies to: Recipient: Recipient not specified; Population: People with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, as the NHLBI treatment page describes the group of left-sided heart failure that its medicines list is for. The page gives no age limits and no ejection fraction cut-off on this page.; Care setting: Not stated; the page is patient information about treatment.; Geography: United States (an NIH institute page; the page names no jurisdiction); Life stage: Not stated on the page; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not applicable (guideline context) - Limitations: The NHLBI page is cite only, so this atlas states it in its own words. The page lists side effects for the whole group, not for beta blockers alone. It gives no doses and no evidence for the claims. The NHLBI treatment page gives no numeric ejection fraction cut-off, so the context here does not state one. - Last checked: 2026-10-15 - Sources: 1. Background: Heart failure: treatment (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) (Webpage, edition NHLBI page as fetched on 2026-10-15; the page shows that it was last updated on March 24, 2022.) Locator: Medicines, left-sided heart failure, lead-in. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:55:49Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: 803a6bca8adbe88bf19236a1d1ecdd3016cdceb691da6da5b610af03c2d25a0e. How it applies: The medicines listed are commonly used for HFrEF. 2. Supports: Heart failure: treatment (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) (Webpage, edition NHLBI page as fetched on 2026-10-15; the page shows that it was last updated on March 24, 2022.) Locator: Medicines, left-sided heart failure, rate-slowing medicines. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:55:49Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: 803a6bca8adbe88bf19236a1d1ecdd3016cdceb691da6da5b610af03c2d25a0e. How it applies: Beta blockers slow the heart rate and ease its work. 3. Supports: Heart failure: treatment (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) (Webpage, edition NHLBI page as fetched on 2026-10-15; the page shows that it was last updated on March 24, 2022.) Locator: Medicines, left-sided heart failure, rate-slowing medicines, side effects. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:55:49Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: 803a6bca8adbe88bf19236a1d1ecdd3016cdceb691da6da5b610af03c2d25a0e. How it applies: Side effects listed for the group. ## Connected pages - Regimen component: Four-class medicine regimen in heart failure (guideline-directed medical therapy) (`cardio:hfref-four-medicine-regimen`) - Files under this front: Medicines (`cardio:front-medicines`) ## Provenance Content hash: 3458e83ad333a1440fbef5a7cd7199ef3af45ebb98cf6fa10d06b78815e54691 Last substantive edit: 2026-10-15 Evidence last checked: 2026-10-15