ADJUNCTIVE MEDICAL THERAPY FOR ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

The goals of adjunctive therapy for myocardial infarction are to relieve pain, stabilize hemodynamics and rhythm, limit infarct size and, ultimately, prolong life. The authors discuss first-line therapy to achieve these goals, which consists of oxygen, analgesics, nitrates, beta blockers, and aspirin. They also describe methods that are still under investigation (eg, long-term use of oral calcium channel blockers) or that may be useful in particular circumstances (eg, anticoagulants in high-risk patients).