When a blocked coronary artery is suddenly reopened, the rescue itself can wound the heart in a second, quieter way — blood seeping into the muscle, destroying what was just saved. Researchers at Indiana University have found that dexrazoxane, a drug long used to shield cancer patients from chemotherapy's cardiac toll, may now serve a new purpose: administered during emergency heart attack intervention, it reduced this internal bleeding by nearly two-thirds in a phase 2 clinical trial. The finding, presented at ESC Congress 2026 in Munich and published in the European Heart Journal, arrives at
Drug trial shows dexrazoxane cuts heart bleeding by 68% in severe heart attacks
Intramyocardial hemorrhage affects approximately 40% of severe heart attack patients and increases risk of heart failure and death if untreated.