ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME-INHIBITION IN MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION .1.CLINICAL-DATA

There is an increasing body of clinical trial evidence to support the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in the managemen t of patients following myocardial infarction (MI). Enthusiasm for the use of ACE inhibitors in the acute phase of MI had previously been te mpered by the adverse results of an early trial. However, exciting new information is available from several large, randomized studies that has not only quelled those initial concerns but also attests to the ef ficacy of using this class of medication in the first 24 h after ari a cute MI. A Canadian National Opinion Leader Symposium was held in Nove mber 1995 to review the results of the major ACE inhibitor clinical tr ials and to discuss key issues and controversies surrounding their use in acute MI. The focus of this paper, the first of two parts, is on t he results of the major ACE inhibitor clinical trials.