Prognostic Features of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Men

Recovery from myocardial infarction is dependent upon the ability of the organism to withstand a given amount of heart damage in the face of preexisting pathology. Characteristics such as age, presence of diabetes and hypertension, various arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, and shock long have been thought by clinicians to be of prognostic value. Indeed, many attempts have been made to evaluate individual features such as age at the time of infarction, 2,3,5,12 specific arrhythmias, 1,7 diabetes, 4 and hypertension. 7 Schnur 10,11 and Russek 8,9 have attempted on clinical grounds to separate good from bad risks. The present study is an effort to evaluate statistically the prognostic significance of certain features of acute myocardial infarction as seen in a large public hospital. A survey was made of all hospital charts of male patients with the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction for the fiscal year 1956-1957 at the Los Angeles County Hospital. The diagnosis was accepted