Abstract
Objective: To determine the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level and wall motion score index (WMSI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with fibrinolytic therapy.
Methodology: We performed a randomized pre-post study in consecutive patients who received fibrinolytic therapy for STEMI at Dr. Moewardi Hospital from July through August 2018. Patients were randomly allocated to receive NAC 600 mg 3 times daily for 3 days (treatment group) or no NAC (control group). Patients underwent pre- and post-treatment hsCRP measurement and echocardiographic examination with calculation of the WMSI. Pre- and post-therapy differences in clinical characteristics were analyzed within and between groups using independent sample t-, Mann-Whitney, paired t-, and Wilcoxon tests as appropriate.
Results: Thirty-two patients were analyzed. The control and treatment groups included 15 (mean age 58.27±8.07 years) and 17 (mean age 55.24±10.19 years) patients, respectively. There were significant between-group differences in hsCRP levels (p=0.001) and WMSIs (p=0.005) after therapy. In the control group, the median post-therapy hsCRP and WMSI were 151.50 mg/l (range 42.50-285.20) and 1.3 (range 1.1-1.7), respectively, compared to 14.90 mg/l (range 3.60-266.80) and 1.2 (range 1.0-1.5), respectively, in the treatment group.
Conclusion: Patients with STEMI who received NAC (600 mg 3 times daily for 3 days) in addition to fibrinolytic therapy had lower post-intervention hsCRP levels and WMSIs than patients who received fibrinolytic therapy alone. These findings will provide a therapeutic option for the successful management of patients with AMI.
