Has the long term prognosis following myocardial infarction improved?

Coronary heart disease mortality in New Zealand has declined by 25% in the 15 years since 1968. One possible explanation for this decline is lower case-fatality rates resulting from improvements in the management of myocardial infarction. This paper tests this hypothesis by examining trends in three year survival following a definite myocardial infarction for the population aged 35-69 in Auckland. The data were obtained from two methodologically identical population-based registers of myocardial infarction compiled in Auckland in 1974 and 1981. The three year survival rates were 59% and 65% for the two time periods respectively and this difference did not reach statistical significance. However, as the survival curves appear to be diverging, there may have been a small improvement in long term outcome after myocardial infarction.