The New England journal of medicine
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During a state-wide retrospective study of myocardial infarction discharges from Maryland hospitals from July, 1966, through June, 1967, the relation of in-hospital case fatality rates to use of anticoagulants was examined in 1,156 patients. In patients who did not receive anticoagulants, the rate was 2.5 times that of those who did (p less than 0.0001). ⋯ When patients were classified according to clinical characteristics relating to prognosis, including arrhythmia, congestive heart failure and shock, the difference between the groups were also demonstrated. Although such a retrospective study cannot demonstrate conclusively the value of anticoagulant therapy, the data are sufficiently suggestive of a beneficial effect to warrant reopening the anticoagulant question.