Which medication class is typically used to treat heart failure with reduced ejection fraction?

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is commonly treated with beta-blockers as a foundational therapy. These medications help manage heart failure by decreasing heart rate, reducing myocardial oxygen demand, and improving heart function over time. They contribute to better survival and improve symptoms in patients with HFrEF.

Beta-blockers work by blocking beta-adrenergic receptors, which are stimulated by catecholamines in the setting of heart failure. This blockade leads to a decrease in heart rate and contractility, which may seem counterintuitive initially, but ultimately helps the heart perform more efficiently and prevents further remodeling of the heart.

While ACE inhibitors and diuretics are also important in the management of heart failure, particularly in terms of symptom management and volume overload, it is the beta-blockers that play a crucial role in long-term management and mortality reduction in patients specifically with HFrEF. Diuretics, on the other hand, are primarily used to treat fluid overload rather than directly impacting heart failure pathophysiology over time. Calcium channel blockers are not typically used in the management of HFrEF, especially in patients with reduced ejection fraction, given their effects on myocardial contractility and potential to worsen heart failure symptoms.

Thus