A Clinicopathological Study of Acute Myocardial Infarction and the Role of Anticoagulation Therapy

Although it has been 10 years since Wright, Marple, and Beck 1 first suggested the use of anticoagulants in acute myocardial infarctions, there remains confusion and uncertainty in the minds of many clinicians as to the role of this form of therapy. Most clinical studies have reported a definite decrease in both morbidity and mortality in patients receiving anticoagulants as compared with control groups. Even so there remains a conflict in the literature as to which patients should and should not be treated with anticoagulants, what may be expected in the way of preventing thrombombolic complications, and how soon after the acute myocardial infarction the anticoagulants should be initiated if they are to be effective. The present study was initiated to answer these questions. However, it quickly became evident that for this study to be valid numerous other factors would have to be considered and compared between the control and treated