Why do doses of cardioprotective drugs need to be escalated with great care in older patients? A case report
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Abstract
Current guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology, including those for the treatment of heart failure and chronic coronary syndromes, include recommendations to escalate the dose of cardioprotective drugs to the maximum tolerated dose. This paper presents the case of a 70-year-old patient, an elderly woman, who was treated out-of-hospital with a beta-blocker (bisoprolol) at an excessively high dose. Due to the onset of side effects of this drug, in the form of dizziness, weakness and significant bradyarrhythmia, the patient had to be hospitalized. It was necessary to observe the patient and determine whether the woman would require a pacemaker implantation. During hospitalization, a number of tests were performed and the beta-blocker was discontinued. After 8 days of hospitalization, the patient was discharged home in a good general condition following a significant improvement.
Keywords: elderly patientscardiovascular preventionbeta-blockers
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