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To compare the effectiveness of xamoterol, a partial beta-adrenoceptor agonist, with that of digoxin in mild to moderate heart failure, investigators conducted a double- blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Three hundred adults with mild to moderate heart failure underwent exercise testing at baseline and after three months of treatment.
Compared with placebo, xamoterol significantly increased exercise duration and work capacity, decreased heart rate at maximum exercise, and improved some symptoms (shortness of breath and fatigue) and signs (peripheral edema and basal crepitations) of heart failure. Although the same trend toward improvement occurred in the digoxin group, the effect was not significant in any measure except one scale…