[Long-term course of conservatively and surgically treated patients with an intramural heart infarct]

Thirty patients with a first nontransmural myocardial infarction (MI) were examined retrospectively. The patients had been treated either surgically or conservatively on the basis of the clinical and morphological findings. Three years following infarction, 28 of the 30 patients were still alive (93.3%). 10 of the 13 patients with one vessel disease and 7 of the 17 patients with two or three vessel disease were gainfully employed. The unfavorable natural course of nontransmural myocardial infarction favors an aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic approach since the survival rate of these patients is only 60 to 70% after three years. The results of this study demonstrates convincingly the economic and social benefits of our diagnostic and therapeutical interventions.