ABSTRACT
The purpose of this communication is to identify the variables contributing to long-term morbidity and mortality in survivors of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The study comprises 5 years of follow up in 364 patients who were admitted to the coronary care unit during the acute episode. At the end of the study, 34.5% of the patients had some degree of incapacity due to angina, cardiac failure or both. There was a precise correlation between these and the degree of myocardial dysfunction or the size of the cardiac silhouette during the AMI. Sixty-seven patients suffered a cardiac death. The 5 year cumulative survival rate by life table analysis was 78.6% at the end of the study. The death rate was clearly greater during the initial six months (7%) and reached 10.5% at the end of the first year. In subsequent years the average annual death rate was 2.2%. Two-fifths of the patients died during a recurrent AMI, one-fifth in chronic cardiac failure and the remaining two-fifths experienced a sudden death. Age, a previous infarction, ventricular dysfunction during the acute episode and a recurrent AMI resulted in a reduced possibility of post-hospital survival. Sex of the patients and ECG location of the AMI had no influence in mortality. The analysis of late deaths due to AMI suggests that mechanical dysfunction, residual ischemia and electrical instability are important factors in its determination. The data indicate that there may be considerable potential to reduce the cardiac death rate in the post-hospital phase of AMI.