Nitroprusside in Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

This issue of the Journal includes reports of two clinical trials in patients with acute myocardial infarction,^{1 , 2} testing the hypothesis that nitroprusside, a vasodilator, will reduce mortality when given during the initial 24 to 48 hours of hospitalization.Nitroprusside has been tested in both animal models and patients with myocardial infarction, with mixed results; investigators have reported improvement, no change, and worsening of ST-segment elevation, an index of ischemia. Very little is known about the effect of nitroprusside on infarct size or long-term outcome after infarction. It is agreed that hemodynamic indexes improve with nitroprusside in patients with myocardial infarction . . .