Heart Rate Reduction in Heart Failure

Patients with heart failure (HF) have a limited exercise tolerance,few pharmacological interventions have been proven effective in improving exercise capacity. At the presence there i conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of beta-blockers on exercise capacity. Ivabradine has been shown to improve prognosis in patients with ischemic heart disease, left ventricular dysfunction and heart rate \> 70 bpm. The association of ivabradine and atenolol has been proven effective in increasing exercise tolerance in patients with ischemic heart disease. Aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of heart rate reduction with ivabradine, carvedilol or their combination in patients with heart failure of ischemic origin.