Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow References
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Disclaimer
Right arrow Request Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Braunwald, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Braunwald, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?


Reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction: historical context and future promise

E. Braunwald*

Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

* Correspondence: Eugene Braunwald, MD, TIMI Study Group, Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA

Abstract

Reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction is a milestone achievement in 20th century cardiology. This article tracks this therapy from the discovery that coronary thrombosis is the cause of myocardial infarction, through the pre-clinical era when studies in dogs demonstrated the benefit of early reperfusion. Then came early clinical observations in the feasibility of coronary thrombolysis in patients, followed by the early placebo-controlled megatrials (GISSI-I and ISIS-2), which showed a substantial mortality benefit. During the past decade there have been important refinements using ambulance-based therapy, new bolus thrombolytics, adjunctive glycoprotein inhibitors and percutaneous coronary intervention.

Key Words: Acute myocardial infarction • cardiovascular disease • reperfusion • ST-elevation myocardial infarction • thrombolytic therapy


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.