Intracoronary Application of Super-Saturated Oxygen to Reduce Infarct Size Following Myocardial Infarction

Optimal medical therapy for secondary prevention following acute myocardial infarction reduces non-fatal ischaemic events. Intensive antithrombotic or lipid-lowering approaches have failed to significantly lower mortality. In the past, reduction of infarct size in patients undergoing primary percutaneous revascularisation for acute myocardial infarction had been considered as a surrogate outcome marker. However, infarct size measured by magnetic resonance imaging or SPECT is strongly associated with all-cause mortality and hospitalization for heart failure within the first year after an acute myocardial infarction. Intracoronary administration of super-saturated oxygen (SSO(2)) immediately after revascularisation is an approach that can be used to reduce infarct size and, therefore, improve cardiovascular outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction. In this article, we describe the modulation of pathophysiology by SSO(2), review the existing trial data and present our first impressions with the technique in real clinical practice.