The rationale of magnesium as alternative therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarction without thrombolytic therapy

Only one third of hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarction receive thrombolytic therapy despite its proven benefits on outcomes. Elderly patients, for example, have a greater risk of death after myocardial infarction, but studies demonstrate that thrombolytic therapy is less likely to be used in older patients. Intravenous magnesium supplementation, both theoretically and experimentally, has been demonstrated to decrease myocardial damage and reduce the mortality rate in subsets of patients, including the elderly and/or patients not suitable for thrombolysis, if it is administered before reperfusion occurs. The aim of this study is to review the rationale of magnesium supplementation as alternative therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarction without thrombolytic therapy.