Effects of losartan and captopril on mortality and morbidity in high-risk patients after acute myocardial infarction: the OPTIMAAL randomised trial. Optimal Trial in Myocardial Infarction with Angiotensin II Antagonist Losartan.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Captopril and Losartan, published as a randomized controlled trial.

Selective antagonism of the angiotensin type 1 receptor represents an alternative approach to inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 5477 patients taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

5477 patients 50 years of age or older (mean age 67.4 years [SD 9.8]), with confirmed acute myocardial infarction and heart failure during the acute phase or a new Q-wave anterior infarction or reinfarction, were recruited from 329 centres in seven European countries.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized and multicenter study.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the Captopril group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Running at several centres spread the Captopril study over different clinics and patient groups.

The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality.

Analysis was by intention to treat.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, Antihypertensive Agents, Captopril, Endpoint Determination, Losartan, Morbidity and Myocardial Infarction.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and multicenter study of Captopril and Losartan in 5477 patients.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

Its findings take up roughly 8 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2002 (Lancet (London, England)), a journal based in England.

More context: all human trials.