Pulmonary edema after anteroseptal acute myocardial infarction

To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients with anteroseptal myocardial infarction (MI) initially presenting with pulmonary edema, we analyzed 58 patients with anteroseptal MI who underwent emergency coronary arteriography that revealed single-vessel disease of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Of the 58 patients, pulmonary edema was observed in 24 patients (group A) and was absent in 34 patients (group B). Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was significantly higher, and cardiac output was significantly lower in group A. The site of coronary stenosis, maximum serum creatinine kinase value, and wall motion point score did not differ between the two groups. However, the incidence of previous hypertension and posterior wall thickness > or = 11 mm was significantly higher in group A than in group B (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). Thus, impaired left ventricular diastolic filling in the non-MI segments due to higher incidence of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy was considered to be the possible cause of pulmonary edema.