ABSTRACT
An exercise test was performed in 306 patients who had had acute myocardial infarction one year previously. The five year cumulative coronary heart disease mortality was 40.0%, when the test had to be discontinued because of ventricular arrhythmias but only 13.0% if discontinued because of fatigue (P less than 0.05). If the maximum work load was less than 80 W the mortality was 30.7% compared with 16.6% in patients who exercised at least 80 W (P less than 0.01). If maximum systolic blood pressure was less than or equal to 150 mmHg mortality was 40.3% compared with 8.5% in patients with greater than 200 mgHg (P less than 0.001). The mortality was 38.2% in patients having single monoform ventricular ectopic beats at a rate of three or more per minute or multiform, paired or early cycle ventricular ectopic beats or ventricular tachycardias: this compared with 14.1% (P less than 0.001) in patients having no or only single monoform ventricular ectopic beats at a rate of less than three per minute. ST-segment depression in univariate testing had no prognostic value. When both exercise test and clinical variables were used in survival analysis (Cox's regression) the most important variable was heart volume and after that ventricular arrhythmias. In multivariate regression analysis ST segment depression also had additional prognostic value. Thus ventricular arrhythmias turned out to be the most important prognostic factor measured during exercise test.
Subject(s)
Myocardial Infarction/mortality , Aged , Exercise Test , Humans , Myocardial Infarction/physiopathology , PrognosisABSTRACT
Three-hundred and seventy-five unselected patients below 65 years of age and with acute myocardial infarction participated in a controlled investigation aimed at studying the effects of a multifactorial intervention programme on morbidity, mortality and risk factor control. After ten years' follow-up the significantly lower sudden death and coronary mortality observed three years after myocardial infarction still persisted in the intervention group (188 patients) compared with the control group (187 patients). The incidence of sudden death in the intervention group was 12.8% compared with 23.0% in the controls (P = 0.01). The incidence of coronary mortality was 35.1% and 47.1%, respectively (P = 0.02). No significant difference was found in the number of patients with clinical non-fatal reinfarctions (25.6% and 19.3%, respectively). During the first year, when the mortality difference was most marked, the use of beta blockers was not significantly different between the groups. The results suggest that with a multifactorial intervention programme which starts early after the infarction and lasts for years a significant long-term reduction in sudden deaths and coronary mortality can be attained.
Subject(s)
Death, Sudden/etiology , Myocardial Infarction/mortality , Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/therapeutic use , Death, Sudden/epidemiology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Life Style , Male , Myocardial Infarction/epidemiology , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
375 consecutive patients below 65 years who had an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) took part in a randomised rehabilitation and secondary prevention trial (part of a W.H.O.-coordinated project) designed to study the effects of a multifactorial intervention programme on morbidity, mortality, return to work, &c. After three years' follow-up the cumulative coronary mortality was significantly smaller in the intervention group than in the controls (18.6% versus 29.4%, p = 0.02). This difference was mainly due to a reduction of sudden deaths in the intervention group (5.8% versus 14.4%, p less than 0.01). The reduction was greatest during the first six months after AMI. 18.1% in the intervention group and 11.2% in the controls (p less than 0.10) presented with non-fatal reinfarctions. The number of patients with new Q-QS findings at the end of the three years was, however, almost the same in both groups. The results suggest that organised aftercare during the first six months after AMI with special emphasis on optimum medical control and health education contributes significantly to a reduction in the number of sudden deaths.