Trial population
comorbidity, substance addiction, obstructive coronary artery disease, malignancy, NSTEMI, epicardial vessel stenosis, arrhythmias, immunological dysfunction, hepatitis
ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, BLOOD, EVENT, DISEASE, CARDIOGENIC SHOCK, ARRHYTHMIAS, HEPATITIS, INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS
Patients were eligible for the trial if they a) were aged 65 years or over with an index presentation of an acute myocardial infarction (either STEMI or NSTEMI) within the previous 6 months, b) had successfully completed revascularisation or were being managed medically following myocardial infarction, c) had evidence of obstructive coronary artery disease on invasive coronary angiography (at least one major epicardial vessel stenosis ≥ 70%), and d) were more than 24 h after presentation with the index event—patients were eligible the following day post percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or 3 months after CABG. Exclusion criteria included any condition associated with immunological dysfunction (acute or chronic inflammatory or neoplastic co-existing disease, known positive serology for HIV, or hepatitis); clinical instability (arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock, unconscious); severe, uncontrolled hypertension (Blood Pressure > 170/110 mmHg, or ambulatory BP of 150/95 mmHg); severe comorbidity likely to impact on outcome over the next 2 years, immunosuppressants, known malignancy, patients already taking a nutritional supplement derived from the roots of the Astragalus species, known current or previous substance addiction and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.