Aronow 1997.

Study characteristics
Methods	Study design: parallel RCT Centres: not reported Start of enrolment: not reported End of enrolment: not reported Mean follow‐up: 32 months (intervention), 31 months (control) Run‐in period: not reported
Participants	Inclusion criteria: "≥ 62 years of age with New York Heart Association functional class II or III CHF, prior Qwave myocardial infarction, and a LV ejection fraction ≥ 40% after 2 months of treatment with diuretics and ACE inhibitors were included in the study." Exclusion criteria: "No patient had valvular heart disease, systolic blood pressure < 100 mm Hg, lung disease with bronchospasm, hepatic disease, renal insufficiency, sinus bradycardia, greater than first‐degree atrioventricular block, or severe peripheral arterial disease." Randomised (N): 158 (79 intervention, 79 control) Withdrawn (N): not reported Lost to follow‐up (N): not reported Analysed (N): 158 (79 intervention, 79 control) Age (years, mean, SD): intervention: 81, 8; control: 81, 7 Sex (% men): intervention: 29; control: 30 Ethnicity (%): not reported Systolic blood pressure not reported Heart rate not reported BMI not reported Serum creatinine not reported B‐type natriuretic peptide not reported NT pro B‐type natriuretic peptide (pg/mL): LVEF (%, mean, SD): intervention: 56, 11; control: 57, 11 NYHA class I (%): 0 NYHA class II (%): intervention: 53; control: 51 NYHA class III (%): intervention: 47; control: 49 NYHA class IV (%): 0 Hypertension (%): intervention: 67; control: 65 Diabetes: not reported Atrial fibrillation (%): intervention: 33; control: 34 Hospitalisation for HF: not reported Coronary heart disease (%): 100 Stroke not reported Diuretic (%): 100 Digoxin (%): intervention: 33; control: 34 Beta‐blocker study drug ACEI (%): 100 ARB not reported MRA not reported
Interventions	Intervention: propranolol. "The initial dose of propranolol was 10 mg/day. This dose was increased by 10‐mg increments at 10‐day intervals until a dose of 30 mg 3 times daily was given. All patients treated with propranolol received a final daily dose of propranolol of 30 mg 3 times daily." Comparator: no treatment Concomitant medication: "All patients continued diuretic and ACE inhibitor therapy during the study. Digoxin was administered only if the patient had atrial fibrillation."
Outcomes	Planned: no published protocol or clinical trial registry entry Reported: "total mortality and total mortality plus nonfatal myocardial infarction"
Notes
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	not reported
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	not reported
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	not reported
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	"LV ejection fraction and LV mass were interpreted by an experienced echocardiographer (IK) who was unaware of the study medications"
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	ITT analyses
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	not reported
Other bias	Unclear risk	funding not reported