Beyond remodeling: a new paradigm for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors following myocardial infarction.

Abstract

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, originally designed to treat hypertension, were quickly demonstrated to confer hemodynamic and survival benefit to patients with congestive heart failure. Extending this paradigm to patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) post-myocardial infarction (MI), ACE inhibitors were shown to attenuate ventricular remodeling and reduce mortality. An unexpected finding that ACE inhibitors could reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction, prompted enormous interest in their anti-ischemic potential. Indeed, a significant body of experimental literature supports the concept that ACE inhibitors have direct anti-atherosclerotic and anti-ischemic effect. Recent clinical trials have shown that ACE inhibitors confer significant protection from ischemic events.