Aims: To compare the effect of trimetazidine (TMZ) versus placebo administered during the acute phase of myocardial infarction on long- and short-term mortality.
Methods and results: EMIP-FR (European Myocardial Infarction Project - Free Radicals) was a prospective, double-blind, European multicentre trial in which 19 725 patients, presenting symptoms of acute myocardial infarction within the previous 24 h were randomized. Stratification was according to thrombolytic therapy (56%) or not (44%). An intravenous bolus injection of trimetazidine (40 mg) was given just before or simultaneously with thrombolysis, followed by continuous infusion (60 mg. 24 h(-1)) for 48 h. Overall, no difference was found between trimetazidine and placebo for the main end-point, short-term (35-day) mortality, (P = 0.98) in an intention-to-treat analysis. This was the result of opposing trends in the two strata. Thrombolysed patients showed a tendency towards more short-term deaths with trimetazidine, compared to placebo (trimetazidine: 11.3%, placebo: 10.5%, P = 0.15) and non-thrombolysed patients the converse (trimetazidine: 14.0%, placebo: 15.1%, P = 0.14). In a per-protocol analysis the beneficial effect of trimetazidine for non-thrombolysed patients became statistically significant (trimetazidine: 13.3%, placebo: 15.1%, P = 0.027).
Conclusion: Trimetazidine does not reduce mortality in patients undergoing thrombolytic therapy; however, it might have some beneficial effect for non-thrombolysed patients.
Copyright 2000 The European Society of Cardiology.