September 21, 1979
View Full PaperAdditional Data Favoring Use of Anticoagulant Therapy in Myocardial Infarction
Structured PICO
Does anticoagulant therapy reduce mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction?
P
Population
1,307 patients with acute myocardial infarction in metropolitan Baltimore
I
Intervention
Anticoagulant therapy in the acute phase
C
Comparator
No anticoagulant therapy
O
Outcome
In-hospital case-fatality ratehard clinical
Anticoagulant therapy during the acute phase of myocardial infarction is associated with improved in-hospital and long-term survival.
Abstract
A community-wide study was conducted in metropolitan Baltimore in which the survival of 1,307 patients with acute myocardial infarction was examined according to use of anticoagulants. The adjusted in-hospital case-fatality rate was lower for patients receiving anticoagulants (18%) than for those not receiving this therapy (31%). This difference persisted in each period examined in the study (1966 and 1967 or 1971) and was found in 17 of 20 participating hospitals. For hospital survivors followed up for as long as ten years, a better survival was again found for those treated with anticoagulants in the acute phase compared with those not treated.