Serum magnesium: a prognostic tool of acute myocardial infarction.

In an attempt to find the prognostic value of serum magnesium in various complications, serum magnesium was estimated spectrophotometrically, in patients of acute myocardial infarction. There was a statistically insignificant difference in serum magnesium levels of complicated group of patients (1.627 +/- 0.192 mg/100 mL) and those who had uneventful recovery (1.412 +/- 0.132 mg/100 mL). However, this difference was highly significant when compared between control group (2.514 +/- 0.16 mg/100 mL) and complicated and uncomplicated cases separately. It was also observed that serum magnesium levels were lowest in patients who died due to major arrhythmias and cardiogenic shock followed by patients who had arrhythmias (especially ventricular tachycardia) and pump failure. The routine use of iv magnesium is recommended within first few hours of acute myocardial infarction to reduce mortality, arrhythmias and pump failure.