Magnesium no benefit of survival after heart attack

According to researchers at the Hospital of Boston, a large clinical trial presents that giving intravenous magnesium after a heart attack does not improve survival after all. It has been assumed by some doctors that there could be benefit to patients if they are given magnesium by infusion after a heart attack. The improvement in survival is thought to be especially significant for those who have had a specific type of heart attack known as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, USA, now report on a placebo-controlled trial of magnesium in 5,800 patients with acute STEMI. The death rate at 32 days for those given magnesium was 15.3 per cent, compared to 12.2 per cent for those on placebo. In other words, there is no survival benefit in giving magnesium for patients with this condition on a routine basis.