[Anti-arrhythmia therapy after myocardial infarct: preliminary results of EMIAT and CAMIAT studies].

This article reviews the preliminary results of the EMIAT and CAMIAT postinfarction trials which were published in early 1996. The trials were conducted independently from each other and both have a randomized, placebo controlled design to assess the efficacy of the class III agent amiodarone in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Differences in patient inclusion criteria and study endpoints are pointed out and major findings from the analysis of 1,486 patients enrolled in EMIAT and 1,202 patients enrolled in CAMIAT are presented. A reduction in the 2-year total mortality could not be demonstrated in EMIAT, but both trials showed unanimously that amiodarone therapy in patients with myocardial infarction significantly reduced the incidence of arrhythmic death and resuscitated cardiac arrest over a 2-year follow-up period.