Based on moderate quality evidence , due to concerns about risk of bias and imprecision , initiation of statin therapy within 14 days following ACS does not reduce death , myocardial infa rct ion , or stroke up to four months , but reduces the occurrence of unstable angina at four months following ACS .
Serious side effects were rare
BACKGROUND The early period following the onset of acute coronary syndrome ( ACS ) represents a critical stage of coronary heart disease , with a high risk of recurrent events and deaths .
The short-term effects of early treatment with statins on patient-relevant outcomes in patients suffering from ACS are unclear .
This is an up date of a review previously published in 2011 .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects , both harms and benefits , of early administered statins in patients with ACS , in terms of mortality and cardiovascular events .
Early atorvastatin therapy improves cardiac function in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
BACKGROUND A number of experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated a cardioprotective effect of statins ; however , the effect of atorvastatin on cardiac function in patients with an acute myocardial infa rct ion ( AMI ) has not been established . METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty consecutive patients with an AMI ( 16 males and 14 females ) were enrolled . All the patients underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention  in the early phase after the onset of an AMI . Patients with a total cholesterol level > 200mg/dL on admission ( n = 14 ) were assigned to the atorvastatin group . They began taking 10 mg of atorvastatin daily within 48 h after the onset of the AMI , while the other patients ( n = 16 ) did not receive atorvastatin and served as the control group . Echocardiography and blood sampling to measure brain natriuretic peptide ( BNP ) and atrial natriuretic peptide ( ANP ) levels were repeated on the 2nd day ( 2D ) , 3 weeks ( 3W ) , 12 weeks ( 12W ) , and 24 weeks ( 24W ) after the onset of the AMI . The percentage of patients with a high BNP level ( BNP > 20 pg/mL ) was significantly decreased from 2D to 24W in the atorvastatin group , but not in the control group ( 100 to 57 % in the atorvastatin group , p < 0.05 ; 100 to 80 % in the control group , n.s . ) . Similar results also occurred with respect to the ANP level ( ANP > 40 pg/mL ) ( 62 to 21 % in the atorvastatin group , p < 0.05 ; 57 to 40 % in the control group , n.s . ) . The left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly higher in the atorvastatin group than the control group at 3W ( 66.0 ± 7.8 % vs. 56.5 ± 11.8 % , p < 0.05 ) and 24W ( 67.5 ± 9.2 % vs. 59.7 ± 9.8 % , p < 0.05 ) . In the atorvastatin  group , the left ventricular systolic diameter was significantly decreased at 24W compared with that at 2D ( 37.1 ± 8.0 mm to 31.4 ± 6.5 mm , p < 0.05 ) . CONCLUSIONS Initiation of atorvastatin in the early phase of an AMI has beneficial effects on cardiac function , probably by improving left ventricular remodeling
Based on moderate quality evidence , due to concerns about risk of bias and imprecision , initiation of statin therapy within 14 days following ACS does not reduce death , myocardial infa rct ion , or stroke up to four months , but reduces the occurrence of unstable angina at four months following ACS .
Serious side effects were rare
BACKGROUND The early period following the onset of acute coronary syndrome ( ACS ) represents a critical stage of coronary heart disease , with a high risk of recurrent events and deaths .
The short-term effects of early treatment with statins on patient-relevant outcomes in patients suffering from ACS are unclear .
This is an up date of a review previously published in 2011 .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects , both harms and benefits , of early administered statins in patients with ACS , in terms of mortality and cardiovascular events .