I beta-bloccanti nella terapia dello scompenso cardiaco: revisione della letteratura

The incidence of medical malpractice litigation is increasing. Most of errors can be defined as “medication errors”, that is to say inappropriate use and prescription of drugs. For this reason it is essential that physicians, and especially those who practices as specialists, know in-depth the effects of drugs that they prescribe. In cardiology, one important field is the risk of inappropriate prescription of beta blockers in the treatment of heart failure. Aim of this paper is to review the status of beta blockers prescription, searching for information concerning their inappropriate use (underuse or misuse). The research was made searching the most well-known juridical and medical databases according to these keywords: “beta blockers”, “inappropriate use” and “heart failure”. The aim is to awake cardiologists in all the risks related to errors in this therapy, to meet the right standard of care and to avoid clinical risks.