Journal of cardiovascular computed tomography
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J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr · Mar 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyEsmolol is noninferior to metoprolol in achieving a target heart rate of 65 beats/min in patients referred to coronary CT angiography: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Coronary CT angiography (CTA) is an established tool to rule out coronary artery disease. Performance of coronary CTA is highly dependent on patients' heart rates (HRs). Despite widespread use of β-blockers for coronary CTA, few studies have compared various agents used to achieve adequate HR control. ⋯ Intravenous esmolol with a stepwise bolus administration protocol is at least as efficacious as the standard of care intravenous metoprolol for HR control in patients who undergo coronary CTA.