[Prognostic indices and advanced age in acute myocardial infarct]

The extent of the acute damage to the myocardium essentially determines the prognosis for patients after acute myocardial infarction. The definition of the risk in the early hospital phase by a semiquantitative evaluation of the infarction size is of great important to the layout of active early mobilisation and is done by iso-enzyme monitoring of lactate dehydrogenase. Beginning, intensity, and duration of the mobilisation programme are fixed individually according to risk groups under consideration of previous myocardial damages and of age. With older patients the stay in hospital is longer, and their performance in the informative exercise test is lower. In the course of the outpatient post-infarction conditioning the peculiarities of the older myocardial infarction patient should be taken into account.