Prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to a coronary care unit. I: Survival in hospital.

On a basis of history, clinical examination, and the electrocardiogram it was possible to identify groups of patients with acute myocardial infarction with good and bad prognoses as regards hospital survival. Individual adverse factors were age, prevous history of ischaemic heart disease, anterior infarction, persistent sinus tachycardia, pulmonary crepitations, hypotension, and raised venous pressure. Multivariate analysis showed four factors remaining significant--age, tachycardia, hypotension, and pulmonary crepitations. As a result of treatment of cardiac arrest, hospital mortality, which would otherwise have been 20 percent, was 17 percent. Preceding unstable angina did not worsen the immediate prognosis.