Post–Myocardial Infarction β-Blockers and Functional Decline in Nursing Home Residents

Although β-blockers prevent early mortality following myocardial infarction (MI), they often are not used in older adults who are functionally or cognitively impaired, because of the perception these medications contribute to further functional decline. To investigate this trade-off between lower mortality and functional decline, researchers used a linked database of Medicare claims and nursing home data to conduct a cohort study of nearly 11,000 nursing home residents (mean age, 84; mostly white women); post-MI participants discharged from the hospital with β-blockers were matched on multiple clinical and sociodemographic variables with an equal number of patients who did not receive β-blockers.

During 3 months following hospital discharge,…