# Massive REBOOT Trial Finds Beta Blockers Useless After Heart Attack With Normal Heart Function, Raise Death Risk in Women

*2026-05-25 22:01 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> The international REBOOT trial found beta blockers give no benefit to heart attack survivors with normal heart function and may raise death risk in women.

A massive international trial is set to overturn nearly 40 years of cardiac care. The REBOOT study found that beta blockers, routinely prescribed to almost every heart attack survivor, offered no benefit to patients whose heart pumping function remained normal. Researchers followed 8,505 survivors across 109 hospitals in Spain and Italy, all with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 50 percent or higher, for nearly four years.

There was no significant difference in deaths, repeat heart attacks, or hospitalizations for heart failure between patients who took the drug and those who did not. More striking, women with normal heart function who took beta blockers had a 2.7 percent higher absolute risk of death over 3.7 years than untreated women, a harm not seen in men.

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, are expected to reshape treatment guidelines worldwide. Researchers stress that beta blockers still have clear value for other conditions such as arrhythmia, high blood pressure, and weakened hearts.

## Sources

- [sciencedaily.com](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260524021151.htm)
- [cnic.es](https://www.cnic.es/en/noticias/nejm-major-international-study-confirms-beta-blockers-are-no-longer-needed-post-infarction)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1713-massive-reboot-trial-finds-beta-blockers-useless-after-heart-attack-with-normal
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/1786-rozsahla-studie-reboot-zjistila-ze-betablokatory-jsou-po-infarktu-se-zachovanou