Saving Lives Post-MI: Highly Purified Omega-3 PUFAs for the Prevention of Sudden Death

Journal of Clinical and Basic Cardiology 2002; 5 (3): 209-214

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Keywords: Arrhythmie,  GISSI,  Kardiologie,  Myokardfunktion,  Omega-3-Fettsäure,  plötzlicher Herztod,  arrhythmia,  clinical trials,  GISSI,  highly purified omega-3 PUFAs,  myocardial infarction,  sudden death

Opportunities still exist to improve prognosis and survival after myocardial infarction (MI). In particular there is a substantial mortality attributable to sudden death, a mode of death that has proved until now resistant to therapeutic intervention. In the GISSI (Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto miocardico)-Prevenzione study, use of highly purified omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) at a dose of 1 g/day was associated with a substantial reduction in the all-cause mortality of post-MI patients. This reduction was the result of a large and statistically significant reduction in risk of sudden death, with these survival benefits emerging early in the course of the 3.5-year study and being additive to the benefits of conventional secondary preventive therapies. OMACOR, a pharmaceutical formulation of highly purified omega-3 PUFAs, has been approved for use in post-MI patients on the basis of the results of GISSI-Prevenzione. Several lines of evidence indicate that the clinical benefits of highly purified omega-3 PUFAs may be attributed to anti-arrhythmogenic qualities. Evidence for this mechanism of benefit is discussed in this review. OMACOR is an effective and well tolerated medication that complements established post-MI medications. This agent should be considered part of the standard treatment strategy for MI survivors.