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Physicians and patients of the present generation are well aware that heart disease is the most common cause of death in the United States. The mortality rate of patients with coronary artery thrombosis is generally quoted as ranging from 35 to 65%, with an average of 50%.1 For many years victims of coronary disease have been instilled with a fear of sudden death or a dread of permanent invalidism; the ensuing psychological effects have seriously limited physicians in providing the proper care and rehabilitation. Current medical teaching, as well as contemporary texts on cardiovascular disease, invariably emphasizes that the outcome of an attack of acute myocardial infarction is unpredictable because of the constant threat of sudden, unexpected death even for persons convalescing favorably. This prevailing view has been responsible for a gloomy outlook on the part of the attending physician even in cases presenting a benign clinical picture. Too often
Henry I. Russek (Sat,) studied this question.