Air Verses Oxygen In myocarDial Infarction Study

\- Aim The AVOID (Air Verses Oxygen In myocardial infarction) trial is designed to determine if the withholding of routine oxygen therapy in patients with acute heart attack leads to reduced heart damage compared to the current practice of routine inhaled oxygen for all patients. \- Background There is evidence supporting and refuting the current practice of providing oxygen to all patients with acute heart attack. A recent summary of clinical trials suggested that oxygen may increase the degree of heart damage during heart attack. It also highlighted that the few trials into oxygen therapy were performed before the use of modern medications and procedures to treat heart attack and that further studies were urgently needed, using contemporary practices. \- Design A total of 334 patients will participate in this randomized controlled trial. Patients in this study will receive the best current management and care for their condition. Patients will be randomized to routine pre-hospital care with oxygen therapy vs pre-hospital care without oxygen therapy. Patients will then receive standard hospital care, aside from allocated oxygen or no oxygen therapy. The primary outcome measure of heart damage will be investigated using routine blood tests. With additional information gathered from other aspects of routine heart care including coronary angiogram, electrocardiograms and complications of hospital stay. Patients will be followed up at 6 months to determine any longer term effects of treatment.