Open AccessAppearance of T‐Wave inversions without raised serum enzyme activity in suspected acute myocardial infarction: Clinical outcome in relation to subendocardial infarction
Author(s) -
Herlitz J.,
HJALMARSON Å.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.4960090508
Subject(s) - medicine , myocardial infarction , cardiology , chest pain , heart failure , angina , incidence (geometry) , infarction , unstable angina , physics , optics
In 67 patients with a clinical history of suspected acute myocardial infarction (MI) who developed T‐wave inversions in standard ECG and had normal serum aspartate aminotransferase activity (possible MI) the clinical outcome was compared with that in patients fulfilling criteria for subendocardial infarction. Patients with possible MI had a lower mortality (p=0.02) and also a lower reinfarction rate (p=0.14) during the first 2 years as compared with those with subendocardial MI. Although patients with subendocardial MI had more problems with chest pain in the acute phase, angina pectoris occurred more frequently in patients with possible MI during a longer follow‐up period. Congestive heart failure occurred more frequently in patients with subendocardial MI during initial hospitalization, whereas treatment for heart failure appeared similar in the two groups during a longer follow‐up time. We conclude that the clinical course in patients with possible MI, here defined as chest pain and appearance of T‐wave inversions without elevation of serum enzyme activity, seems to differ from that in patients with subendocardial MI, particularly regarding long‐term survival and incidence of angina pectoris.