Novel strategy to reduce sudden-death risk in the healing phase after myocardial infarction.

For patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF), the risk of cardiac arrest is particularly high in the healing phase immediately after a myocardial infarction (MI). Estimates from recent clinical trials show an annualized sudden-death risk of 8% to 12% in the 3-month period after MI, even with optimal medical therapy including appropriate revascularization, -adrenergic receptor blocker, aldosterone inhibitor, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker therapy.1