A controlled trial of sotalol for 1 year after myocardial infarction

We carried out a double-blind, randomized study, based at The Academic Department of Cardiology in Newcastle upon Tyne, to compare the effect of sotalol 320 mg once daily with that of placebo in patients from 20 hospitals who survived an acute myocardial infarction. Treatment was started 5-14 days after infarction in 1456 patients; 60% were randomized to sotalol and 40% to placebo. This represented 45% of those evaluated for entry. All patients were followed for 12 months and the analysis was done on an "intention-to-treat" principle. Sixty-four patients (7.3%) in the sotalol group died, compared with 52 (8.9%) in the placebo group. Although the mortality rate was 18% lower in the sotalol group, the difference was not statistically significant. There was a significant reduction in confirmed reinfarction, but not in all suspected reinfarctions.