(HealthDay)—For patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), hyperglycemia is associated with larger area-at-risk and infarct size, and the effect of exenatide treatment is independent of glucose levels, according to a study published online Feb. 28 in Diabetes.

Jacob Lønborg, M.D., Ph.D., from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues examined the correlation between hyperglycemia and infarct size, myocardial salvage, and area-at-risk in a cohort of 210 patients with STEMI. Participants were randomized to receive intravenous exenatide or placebo before percutaneous coronary intervention, and the interaction between exenatide and hyperglycemia was assessed.