Intravenous Erythropoietin in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Despite advances in the management of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), it remains a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability,^1,2 particularly among older persons.³ Patients who survive STEMI are at risk for developing infarct expansion (the process of myocardial thinning and infarct zone dilation that begins soon after coronary occlusion)⁴ and left ventricular (LV) remodeling (the topographical and functional changes in the infarct zone and the noninfarcted myocardium).⁵ Both are strongly associated with heart failure and death.⁶ Risk factors for infarct expansion and LV remodeling include infarct size, extent of apoptosis, anterior location of the infarction,⁷ severe microvascular obstruction,⁸ and older age.⁹ Given the global burden of ischemic heart disease and heart failure, therapies that limit infarct size and attenuate or reverse LV remodeling are needed.