Long-term prognostic value of resting heart rate in patients with suspected or proven coronary artery disease

AIMS: Heart rate reduction is the cornerstone of the treatment of angina. The purpose of this study was to explore the prognostic value of heart rate in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed the relationship between resting heart rate at baseline and cardiovascular mortality/morbidity, while adjusting for risk factors. A total of 24 913 patients with suspected or proven CAD from the Coronary Artery Surgery Study registry were studied for a median follow-up of 14.7 years. All-cause and cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular rehospitalizations were increased with increasing heart rate (P or =83 bpm at baseline had a significantly higher risk for total mortality…