Magnesium therapy in acute myocardial infarction--a double-blind study

Various methods have been proposed and tried to limit the extent of myocardial damage at the time of infarction. We chose to assess the usefulness of intravenous magnesium in this regard because of its important role in myocardial metabolism and function and the suggestion of its deficiency in ischemic hearts. A double-blind randomized trial was carried out and results analyzed in 76 patients. At the end of the infusion period the mean serum Mg++ level for the treated group was 3.6 versus 1.9 mg/dl for the control group. The estimated size of infarction (as measured by MB-CK release) was not significantly smaller overall in the treated group (37.4 +/- 4.3 vs. 45.6 +/- 4.6 MB-CK g/Eq), but was significantly smaller in the treated subgroup without heart failure (31.6 +/- 5.8 vs. 44.7 +/- 4.8 MB-CK g/Eq). A trend toward less ventricular ectopy was seen in the group treated with magnesium. There was significantly less lidocaine used for the treatment of ventricular dysrhythmias in this group. Magnesium supplementation in patients undergoing acute coronary events is promising and deserves further study.