The temperature course in acute myocardial infarction

The rectal temperature course was studied retrospectively in 192 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The ordinary temperature course after AMI was characterized by four points: 1. The morning temperature on the first day in hospital was seldom above 38.2 degrees C. (in four of 50 cases) 2. The maximal morning temperature was seldom recorded before day two or after day five in hospital (in five of 150 cases) 3. The maximal morning temperature seldom reached above 39.0 degrees C. (in one of 150 cases) 4. The morning temperature seldom increased more than 0.6 degrees C. after day five in one or more steps (in nine of 150 cases). Seventy-four per cent of the patients were afebrile after one week, and 96% after two weeks. Patients with higher SGOT (ASAT) maxima had longer duration of fever. Eleven per cent of the patients did not have fever at all.