THE RATIONALE OF MAGNESIUM AS ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION WITHOUT THROMBOLYTIC THERAPY

Only one third of hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarcti on receive thrombolytic therapy despite its proven benefits on outcome s, Elderly patients, for example, have a greater risk of death after m yocardial infarction, but studies demonstrate that thrombolytic therap y is less likely to be used in older patients, Intravenous magnesium s upplementation, both theoretically and experimentally, has been demons trated to decrease myocardial damage and reduce the mortality rate in subsets of patients, including the elderly and/or patients not suitabl e for thrombolysis, if it is administered before reperfusion occurs, T he aim of this study is to review the rationale of magnesium supplemen tation as alternative therapy for patients with acute myocardial infar ction without thrombolytic therapy.