Background: This study assessed the effects of combination therapy with simvastatin and carvedilol on clinical outcome in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
Methods and results: The study retrospectively analyzed the data from 672 patients with LV dysfunction [LV ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%] complicated with AMI who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The patients were divided into 4 treatment groups: combination group (n=160), simvastatin only group (n=216), carvedilol only group (n=242), neither treatment group (n=54). At 6 months after PCI, the LVEF had improved most significantly in the combination group. During 1-year follow-up, cardiac death occurred most frequently in the neither treatment group compared with the other 3 groups (combination: 4%, simvastatin alone: 7%, carvedilol alone: 8%, neither: 17%, p<0.001 between neither treatment and other 3 groups). The results on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) showed that the combination of simvastatin and carvedilol was associated with a relative risk reduction of 53% (p<0.001), treatment with simvastatin alone with a relative risk reduction of 44% (p=0.001), and carvedilol alone with a relative risk reduction of 40% (p=0.003) compared with neither treatment. The independent predictors of 1-year MACE were neither treatment, elevated high sensitivity C-reactive protein (> or =0.5 mg/dl), and old age (>70 years).
Conclusion: Combination therapy with simvastatin and carvedilol had a positive impact on the endpoints of cardiovascular death and MACE and seems to have an additive beneficial effect on these endpoints in patients with LV dysfunction complicated with AMI who underwent PCI.