Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate the "real world" effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) in patients with acute myocardial infarction suffering from diabetes mellitus(AMI+DM patients).METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study.During hospitalization, the "exposure group" was defined as patients who had a TCM injection for ≥ 7 d.During follow-up, the definition of the exposure group was application of a Chinese patent medicine or decoction of Chinese medicine for ≥ 28 d.General information(age, sex, contact details), TCM use and endpoint events of AMI+DM patients during hospitalization and follow-up were collected.The correlation between TCM and the end-point events of AMI + DM patients was analyzed using a multiple logistic regression method.RESULTS: A total of 479 AMI + DM patients were enrolled and 345 cases were followed up. During hospitalization, TCM, age, hypertension and use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor(ACEI)or angiotensin receptor blocker(ARB) were associated with cardiac death. During follow-up, TCM was associated with cardiac death. TCM was a relevant factor for a composite endpoint of re-infarction and stroke. TCM, anti-thrombotic therapy and lipid-lowering therapy were related to acute heart failure. TCM, anti-thrombotic therapy, anti-MI therapy and ACEI/ARB use exhibited a strong correlation with re-hospitalization due to cardiovascular disease.CONCLUSION: TCM reduced the prevalence of cardiac death during hospitalization, and cardiac death, a composite endpoint of re-infarction and stroke, acute heart failure and re-hospitalization due to cardiovascular disease during follow-up.

Key words: Myocardial infarction, Diabetes mellitus, Death, Medicine,Chinese traditional, Cohort studies