Is post-infarction angina related to poor residual left ventricular function?

To investigate the relationship between left ventricular function and presence and type of myocardial ischaemia in the post-acute phase of myocardial infarction (MI) 313 patients admitted consecutively to our Center of Rehabilitation were studied. In all subjects a good quality two-dimensional echocardiogram, 24-h ambulatory electrocardiogram and in 308 of them a symptom-limited exercise test were performed. Clinical observation was for 3 months since MI occurrence. Transient episodes of post-MI ischaemia were observed in 164 patients (52%). No differences in left ventricular asynergy or ejection fraction were noted among patients with and without post-MI ischaemia as a whole, nor in subsets identified on the basis of occurrence of pain or ischaemia characteristics (at rest or exercise-induced). Episodes of left ventricular failure occurred more frequently in patients with silent, myocardial ischaemia at rest. Sublingual isosorbide dinitrate (5 mg), administered to 20 patients, did not differently change asynergy and ejection fraction in patients with and without documented post-MI ischaemia. In conclusion, extent of asynergy and degree of left ventricular dysfunction at rest seem to be: unrelated to the risk of post-MI ischaemia occurrence; related to the infarct size and not to the presence of stunned myocardium.