Correspondance Return to February 6 , 2001 Table of Contents

enteral magnesium would appear to offer the epitome of efficacy in such situations. It also has many features friendly to the heart. Much has been written about the ubiquitous magnesium salts, which until fairly recently were primarily used to treat gastrointestinal problems and preeclampsia. Seelig and colleagues outlined a wide range of studies showing positive results in acute myocardial infarction, one impressive large study being LIMIT-2. Whereas others demonstrated no benefit, Frakes and Richardson advocate the use of magnesium in a handful of emergency situations. The MAGIC study, involving 10 400 high-risk patients, is currently in progress and results are expected soon. I would like to see a study performed in which intravenous magnesium is given earlier than the 6-hour limit entered in the MAGIC protocol. Delaying and playing second fiddle may have contributed to the inferior results in some studies.