Coronary Artery Disease in Combat Casualties in Vietnam

Postmortem coronary angiography and dissection of hearts from 105 United States soldiers killed in Vietnam demonstrate that (1) 45% have some evidence of atherosclerosis; (2) 5% have gross evidence of severe coronary atherosclerosis; and (3) no patient had angiographic evidence of severe coronary narrowing, and in only one patient was any degree of stenosis observed.