[Characteristics of the course of complicated myocarditis]

Twenty one patients (15 males and 6 females, mean age, 35.0 +/- 1.6 years) with myocarditis combined with symptoms of Stages II-III circulatory failure were examined. This group of patients was identified as a high-risk group as to an unfavourable outcome of myocarditis. Within the follow-up from 3 to 36 months, all the patients died: the case of death was arrhythmia in 17 and circulatory failure in 4. The unfavourable prognosis of the disease was evidenced by high pulmonary capillary pressure and pulmonary end-diastolic pressure that exceeded 20 mm Hg the cardiac index that was less than 31/min.m-2. The ratio of left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes to the left ventricular cross-shortening were important signs of the unfavourable prognosis, i.e. death of congestive circulatory failure. In addition to complications of myocarditis such as sudden ventricular fibrillation, progressive congestive circulatory failure and thromboembolism, there were more rare complications such as development of left ventricular aneurysms and damage to the endocardium as abacterial endocarditis.