Labetalol use for hypertension may precipitate left ventricular failure, warranting caution in susceptible patients.
Labetalol may precipitate reversible LV failure; this case report leaves open whether beta-dominant effects confer risk in broader hypertensive populations.
A patient treated for hypertension with labetalol developed left ventricular failure. When the drug was withdrawn and the BP controlled with 2 other agents, the signs of heart failure regressed. The ill effects in this case could have been because the beta-blocking effects of labetalol are 4 to 6 times greater than the alpha-blocking effects. Caution should be exercised when prescribing this drug for patients with heart failure or with previous symptoms.
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Frais et al. (1979) studied this question.
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