Dr. Lu Yingming of Shanghai Yueyang Hospital is one of the few specialists in China who have used cyanide to treat patients dying of heart failure.

According to Lu, cyanide effectively expands the obstructed blood vessels in the patient's heart, helping him pull through.

"In fact, such treatment is very popular in the West. But domestic doctors hesitate to use it for fear of a possible backlash if things go wrong," Lu said, adding, however, that cyanide is a twin-edged sword.

"On one hand, it is the most efficacious medicine for coronary heart disease and myocardial infraction in clinical treatment; on the other hand, it can kill the patient if the dose is not right," he said.

Patients can die of poisoning or by blood pressure suddenly falling to zero due to excessive vessel expansion, Lu explained.

"So, we have to be very careful while using the drug. According to international conventions, the largest sum of cyanide dosage allowed is 50 milligrams every 72 hours," he said.

To avoid a sudden drop in blood pressure, medical staff conduct tests every 30 seconds and monitor the patient's other reaction to the medicine, he added.

To avoid risks, most local doctors use some moderate drugs to treat heart diseases.

"But the effect is rather poor and it can only overcome mild heart failures," Lu said.

Estimates show that half of the patients suffering from serious heart failure die. Moderate medicines can do nothing under such situations, Lu insisted.

The doctor cited a 63-year-old male patient to explain the function of cyanide.

When the patient came to the hospital last Wednesday, he was vomiting and unable to breathe, symptoms of heart failure. He could have died any moment, Lu said.

Under such critical circumstances, cyanide acted as a sheet anchor for him.

His condition improved at once, since his vessels were expanded, letting the blood through, the specialist said.

(People's Daily 06/20/2001)