The Fate of a Patient with So-Called Mild Coronary

RECENT surveys suggest that the prognosis following recovery from a myocardial infarction may be more favorable than was suspected initially. Survival studies indicate that the greatest loss occurs in the first year, and that it may be 5 times greater than the mortality rate in the succeeding 4 years, and grossly equivalent to that encountered over a 9-year period.¹⁻³A compilation of these experiences discloses that as many as 70% of patients may survive for at least 5 years, and 40% for 10 years (figure). As this statistical picture evolved, the term "mild coronary" came into common usage. Conventionally, it refers to an initial infarction which produces limited clinical signs, and is not complicated by severe shock, serious arrhythmias, or congestive heart failure. The electrocardiographic abnormalities generally are representative of limited tissue necrosis, and often resolve or become quite minimal at the conclusion of the acute illness.