AIM To investigate the effects of safflower yellow on myocardial injury in patients with severe sepsis.METHODS Using prospective research methods,ninety-two patients with severe sepsis treated in our hospital from Jan.2013 to Mar.2016 were divided equally into two groups:control group (routine treatment) and observation group (routine treatment + safflower yellow).In addition,6 and 72 hours after the treatment,heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP),creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) of patients were detected,and the changes of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores were observed;length of ICU stay,cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and 28-day survival also were recorded at the same time.RESULTS In admission,there were no differences in the levels of H-FABP,CK,CK-MB and LVEF,SOFA scores between the two groups.After 6 hours treatment,the levels of H-FABP,CK,CK-MB and SOFA score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group;the two groups had higher levels of H-FABP,CK and CK-MB than those before the treatment,SOFA score was lower than that before the treatment;After 72 hours treatment,H-FABP,CK,CK-MB and SOFA score were lower than those after 6 hours treatment;SOFA score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group;there were no differences in H-FABP,CK and CK-MB between the two groups.The observation group had a lower cumulative incidence of MACE than the control group.There was no statistical difference in LVEF and length of ICU stay after the treatment between the two groups.The observation group had a higher 28-day survival than the control group,the difference was statistically significant (76.08％,35/46 vs 54.35％,25/46;x2 =4.529,P =0.033).The level of serum H-FABP in severe sepsis patients was negatively correlated with LVEF (r =-0.270,P =0.009).CONCLUSION Therapeutic effects of safflower yellow on myocardial injury in patients with severe sepsis is superior to routine treatment with the improvement of the prognosis of patients to a certain extent.