Anti-angina drug shows protective effects from carbon monoxide

An international research team, led from the University of Leeds, has found that a common anti-angina drug could help protect the heart against carbon monoxide poisoning.

Animal studies have shown that the anti-angina drug ranolazine can significantly reduce the number of deaths from arrhythmias – irregular or abnormally paced heartbeats – that have been triggered by carbon monoxide.

The findings could have important implications for the development of a protective treatment for adults and children who have been exposed to toxic levels of the gas.

''When patients are admitted to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning, the main problem doctors face is preventing damage to the body whilst the body slowly removes the chemical,'' said University of Leeds' Professor Chris Peers, who led the research. ''We've shown that ranolazine can rapidly protect the heart and prevent the kind of cardiac events which threaten patients long after their exposure to the gas.''

Carbon monoxide poisoning causes 1.6 million deaths worldwide every year. Many people who have been exposed to the gas develop cardiac arrhythmias, which if left untreated can lead to a fatal cardiac arrest.

Until now, however, the underlying biochemical mechanisms causing damage to the heart have not been fully understood, preventing the development of effective treatments.