27 Aug Does Routine Oxygen After Heart Attack Reduce Risk of Dying?

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Hofmann

Robin Hofmann, MD PhD
Senior consultant cardiologist and researcher
Department of clinical science and education
Södersjukhuset, at Karolinska Institute

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Oxygen has been used to treat patients suffering a heart attack for more than a century, despite the fact that such treatment has not had any scientifically proven effect on patients who have normal oxygen levels in their blood. Since the turn of the millennium, researchers worldwide have started to question whether oxygen therapy for heart attacks is ineffective – or may even be harmful.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: One year ago, we were able to confirm that oxygen therapy does not appear to reduce the risk of dying up to one year after the heart attack. We can now substantiate these findings for a long-term perspective and even show that oxygen therapy does not reduce the development of heart failure, the most worrying complication of heart attacks.  

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? 

Response: The routine use of oxygen can now be eliminated in patients with normal oxygen saturation, and healthcare personnel can concentrate on more efficient measures and rapid transport to hospital. 

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work? 

Response: Our findings need to be confirmed in other groups of patients and diagnoses, eg in post resuscitation, heart failure, sepsis, critically ill etc were liberal oxygen therapy is still common despite lack of evidence.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: More pragmatic real-world trials are needed to address clinically important knowledge gaps.

No disclosures

Citation:

Tomas Jernberg, Robin Hofmann, et al for the DETO2X-SWEDEHEART investigators.Long-term effects of oxygen therapy on death or hospitalization for heart failure in patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction. Circulation, 2018; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.036220 

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Last Updated on August 27, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD