Do medications which reduce angina influence long-term mortality after a heart attack?
Although medication which decreases the risk of angina attacks (chest pain caused by blockage of the arteries that supply the heart), are frequently prescribed in patients who have sustained a myocardial infarction, the possible influence of medication on long-term survival is not known, with the exception of beta-blocking agents, which have been shown to decrease mortality in clinical trials performed 30 years ago. Because antianginal drugs also protect the myocardium against ischemia (insufficient oxygen delivery to the heart muscle), there is a possibility that they may improve the prognosis of patients having suffered a heart attack. There are several classes of antianginal medications, which act through different mechanisms and therefore may have different effects on the clinical prognosis of patients.