Measurement of aortic blood velocity in acute myocardial infarction by Doppler ultrasound.

Aortic blood velocity was measured by a transcutaneous continuous wave Doppler technique in thirty-five patients with proven acute myocardial infarction. Measurements were made on the first and seventh day following admission to hospital. Group I comprised 21 patients who had sustained a first myocardial infarction of moderate size, uncomplicated by hypoperfusion. Group II comprised 14 patients who had had a large rise in cardiac enzymes, a previous myocardial infarction or were clinically hypoperfused. The mean value for peak aortic velocity for Group I on Day 1 was 88 +/- 12.9 cm/s. This was significantly lower than the mean value of 101.8 +/- 23.1 cm/s for a group of 85 normal subjects. By Day 7 the mean value for Group I of 105.1 +/- 19.8 cm/s was not significantly different from normal. For Group II patients on Day 1 the mean value for peak aortic velocity was 67.9 +/- 11.7 cm/s and was significantly lower than that for both Group I and the normal group. By the seventh day the mean value for Group II was 76.5 +/- 17.1 cm/s which was not significantly different from Day 1.