Postmyocardial infarction patients: experience from the SAVE trial.
Improving patient survival is the ultimate goal after acute myocardial infarction. Although thrombolytics, aspirin, and beta-blockers have greatly decreased mortality, structural changes such as ventricular dilatation evolving within the myocardium during and after acute myocardial infarction indicate a poor prognosis. The Survival and Ventricular Enlargement trial demonstrated that when administered 3 to 16 days after acute myocardial infarction in selected patients, captopril, the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, reduces ventricular dilatation, prevents the development of congestive heart failure, and reduces morbidity and mortality. This paper reviews results of that trial and presents guidelines for effective captopril dosage after acute myocardial infarction.
Connors
K F
KF
Department of Cardiology, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA 02215.
Lamas
G A
GA
D002216:Captopril / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003663:Decision Trees; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000517:prevention & control; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
D002216:Captopril