Letters to a young doctor. Overseas doctors.

Hampton JR. Should every survivor of a heart attack be given a beta-blocker ? Evidence from clinical trials. Br Med J' 1982;285:33-6. A detailed critique of the available data followed by the views of a clinical pharmacologist (A Breckenridge pp 37-8) and some overall conclusions (G Rose pp 39-40). Hitchings RA. Beta-blockers in the treatment of chronic simple glaucoma. Br MedJ3 1982;285:84-5. An up to date editorial that concludes that timolol maleate is a major advance in the medical management of this condition. Lebrec D, Poynard T, Hillon P, Benhamou J-P. Propranolol for prevention of recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis: a controlled study. N EnglJ7 Med 1981;305:1371-4. Of 74 patients 96', who were randomly assigned to propranolol were free from recurrent bleeding at one year compared with 50% of patients treated with placebo. Loeb HS, Bredakis J, Gunnar RM. Superiority of dobutamine over dopamine for augmentation of cardiac output in patients with chronic low output cardiac failure. Circulation 1977;55:375-81. The acute haemodynamic effects were compared in 13 patients (cardiomyopathy, ischaemic heart disease) receiving digitalis and diuretics. Man In 'T Veld AJ, Schalekamp MA. Pindolol acts as beta-adrenoceptor agonist in orthostatic hypotension: therapeutic implications. Br Med J 1981 ;282:929-31. Description of successful treatment in three patients.