Nifedipine in Unstable Angina

To the Editor: The article by Gerstenblith and his colleagues (April 15 issue), comparing the use of nifedipine and placebo in patients with unstable angina admitted to a coronary-care unit,* is an important contribution to the treatment of this subgroup of patients with angina at rest. These patients had a moderate but significant reduction in ischemia-related events (sudden death, myocardial infarction, and bypass surgery) when nifedipine was added to long-acting nitrate and propranolol treatment. Analysis of the data suggests two potentially important points not discussed by the authors. First of all, although the apparent benefit of nifedipine therapy was shown . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.