Several afib.no network members are involved in the OMega-3 fatty acids in Elderly with Myocardial Infarction (OMEMI) trial, investigating the effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients aged 70-82 with recent myocardial infarction. The results were presented by Are A. Kalstad at the American Heart Association scientific session november 15, 2020, and was published simultanously as a full-length article in Circulation.

The study showed no effect on the primary endpoint (a composite of non-fatal AMI, unscheduled revascularization, stroke, all-cause death, heart failure hospitalization) after two years, or the safety endpoint (bleeding).

However, the incidence of the secondary endpoint new-onset atrial fibrillation was numerically higher in the omega-3 treatment arm (7.2 % vs. 4.0 %), albeit not statistically significant (p=0.06). This, and similar findings in the REDUCE-IT trial may raise new questions with regard to possible associations between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and risk of atrial fibrillation.

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