Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Review Meta Analysis
Outcomes of beta blocker use in cocaine-associated chest pain: a meta-analysis.
Beta blockers (β-blockers) remain a standard therapy in the early treatment of acute coronary syndromes. However, β-blocker therapy in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain (CACP) continues to be an area of debate due to the potential risk of unopposed α-adrenergic stimulation and coronary vasospasm. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of available studies to compare outcomes of β-blocker versus no β-blocker use among patients with CACP. ⋯ In patients presenting with acute chest pain and underlying cocaine, β-blocker use does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of MI or all-cause mortality.