Mortality of patients with acute myocardial infarction

Summary

Pentazocine does not cause the hypotension associated with the use of opiates in patients with myocardial infarction but some haemodynamic studies have suggested that the drug could be hazardous. An analysis is described of 457 consecutive patients admitted to a Coronary Care Unit, of whom 250 (55%) received pentazocine for relief of chest pain, while the remainder did not require analgesics and, therefore, acted as a control.

Utilising a coronary prognostic index no significant difference in the mortality rate between the two groups was demonstrated, nor was the mortality dependent on the total dosage. Furthermore, no clinical disadvantage arose from the administration of pentazocine to patients with elevated systolic blood pressure on admission.