Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Post-Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure in Closed-chest Coronary Occlusion/Reperfusion Model in Göttingen Minipigs and Landrace Pigs
Published on: April 17, 2021
Alcohol consumption and prognosis in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction after a myocardial
David Aguilar1, Hicham Skali, Lemuel A Moyé
1Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. david.aguilar@uth.tmc.edu
Insights
For patients with left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction, light-to-moderate alcohol intake did not significantly alter the risk of developing heart failure. This finding holds true whether alcohol consumption was measured at baseline or three months post-myocardial infarction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Clinical Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Alcohol consumption is linked to cardiodepressant effects, contrasting with its potential protective role in coronary heart disease.
- Alcohol intake is generally considered contraindicated in patients diagnosed with heart failure (HF).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of alcohol consumption on the development of symptomatic heart failure (HF).
- To assess this influence in patients experiencing left ventricular (LV) dysfunction subsequent to a myocardial infarction (MI).
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Survival And Ventricular Enlargement (SAVE) trial, involving 2231 patients with LV ejection fraction (EF) <40% post-MI.
- Patients were categorized into nondrinkers, light-to-moderate drinkers (1-10 drinks/week), and heavy drinkers (>10 drinks/week) based on baseline alcohol intake.
- The primary endpoint was hospitalization for HF or initiation of open-label angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy; analysis was repeated with data from three months post-MI.
Main Results:
- Univariate analysis indicated that light-to-moderate baseline alcohol intake was associated with a lower incidence of HF compared to nondrinkers (HR 0.71).
- Heavy drinking showed no significant association with HF incidence (HR 0.91).
- After adjusting for baseline characteristics, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption did not significantly influence HF development (HR 0.93), and heavy drinking was associated with a potential increase in risk (HR 1.25). Alcohol intake at three months post-MI also did not modify adverse outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Light-to-moderate alcohol intake, whether assessed at baseline or three months post-MI, did not alter the risk of developing heart failure in patients with LV dysfunction after myocardial infarction.
- The findings suggest that moderate alcohol consumption does not significantly impact HF risk in this specific patient population.
Objectives:
We assessed the influence of alcohol intake on the development of symptomatic heart failure (HF) in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction after a myocardial infarction (MI).
Background:
In contrast to protection from coronary heart disease, alcohol consumption has been linked to cardiodepressant effects and has been considered contraindicated in patients with HF.
Methods:
The Survival And Ventricular Enlargement (SAVE) trial randomized 2231 patients with a LV ejection fraction (EF) <40% following MI to an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or placebo. Patients were classified as nondrinkers, light-to-moderate drinkers (1 to 10 drinks/week), or heavy drinkers (>10 drinks/week) based on alcohol consumption reported at baseline. The primary outcome was hospitalization for HF or need for an open-label angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. Analyses were repeated using alcohol consumption reported three months after MI.
Results:
Nondrinkers were older and had more comorbidities than light-to-moderate and heavy drinkers. In univariate analyses, baseline light-to-moderate alcohol intake was associated with a lower incidence of HF compared with nondrinkers (hazard ratio [HR] 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57 to 0.87), whereas heavy drinking was not (HR 0.91; 95% CI 0.67 to 1.23). After adjustment for baseline differences, light-to-moderate baseline alcohol consumption no longer significantly influenced the development of HF (light-to-moderate drinkers HR 0.93; 95% CI 0.75 to 1.17; heavy drinkers HR 1.25; 95% CI 0.91 to 1.72). Alcohol consumption reported three months after the MI similarly did not modify the risk of adverse outcome.
Conclusions:
In patients with LV dysfunction after an MI, light-to-moderate alcohol intake either at baseline or following MI did not alter the risk for the development of HF requiring hospitalization or an open-label angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care
01:26Imbalances in Cardiac Output
CHF can occur due to the failure of either side of the heart. Left-side failure leads to pulmonary congestion—the right side continues to send blood...
01:29Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
01:22Mitral Stenosis I: Introduction
01:22Myocarditis IV: Nursing Management
01:30Cardiomyopathy II: Dilated Cardiomyopathy