EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HEART WALL RUPTURE DURING ACUTE INFARCTION

In a retrospective study including 1888 consecutive patients (pts) wit h acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admitted in the years 1989-1993 to the CCU, the relationship between sex, age, history of angina, locati on of infarction and heart wall rupture has been studied in a multivar iate re,gression model. Female sex (p = 0.0013), older age (p = 0.0001 ), first angina during the AMI (p = 0.001) were indicative for signifi cantly higher risk of rupture. Women are at higher risk only with ante rior wall AMI (p = 0.0393). The risk increases continually with age, m ore in pts with inferior wall AMI than anterior wall AMI. (p = 0.339). Females over the age of 75 with anterior wall AMI and first AP, and m ales and females over 83 with inferior wall AMT and first AP are at th e highest risk of rupture (48.6 % of deaths). We conclude that the def ined high risk pts should be carefully monitred concerning the si,ans of impending heart wall rupture.