| AdminHistory | The Working Party on Anticoagulant Therapy in Coronary Thrombosis started in 1955. Members of the working party were, Chairman Professor W M Arnott, Dr R Briggs, Dr A R Gilchrist, Professor R B Hunter, Professor Sir George Pickering, Dr J H Wright, Professor A S Douglas (Secretary), and Professor D D Reid. The compiler of data was Miss L Colwell.
The working party's main aim was to produce studies that clarified the effect of anticoagulant therapy after an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). It was the latest in a long line of tests/trials on this subject dating back to 1941. Previous trials from around the world had showed little or no agreement on the efficiency of anticoagulant therapy in lowering the death rate of patients. In earlier trials it had been specified that from none to 50 per cent reduction of fatality in cases.
The first controlled trial was carried out between November 1955 and May 1960. This was monitoring the progress of patients who had recovered from an acute cardiac infarction were then given either a high or low dosage of Phenindione. Patients were only admitted between November 1955 and March 1958. It was discontinued in its initial form in May 1960. Although the second report does give details up to 1962.
It was decided in 1962 to conduct a non strictly controlled trial of the use of anticoagulant therapy in the acute phase of myocardial infarction. The trial was launched in 1963 and lasted for three years. Twelve hospitals were involved in the trial. These were Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford; Newcastle General Hospital, St James Hospital, Leeds; Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh; Royal Infirmary, Manchester; Western Infirmary, Glasgow; Royal Infirmary, Glasgow; Royal Infirmary, Cardiff; Royal Infirmary, Bristol; Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and Maryfield Hospital, Dundee. Its main intention was to study the influence of anticoagulant therapy given for 28 days after a patient who has suffered a recent acute myocardial infarction. Patients of all ages were admitted into the trial. Envelopes stating patient dosage, either high or low, was allocated by random sampling numbers and sent to the chosen hospitals. It was not a double blind assessment therefore the decisive factor in determining the effectiveness of the drug was death. However, it is stated within the report that other actions for instance a recurrence of a myocardial infarction would be taken into analysis. The results of the trial showed that overall the anticoagulant therapy had little effect and there were no reduction in fatality rates. |