INFLUENCE OF THE PATENCY OF THE ARTERY RE SPONSIBLE FOR MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION ON THE PREVALENCE OF LATE POTENTIALS - REPORT OF A SERIES OF 80 PATIENTS

The pejorative prognostic significance of late potentials (LP) has bee n clearly demonstrated over recent years. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of revascularization of the artery respons ible for infarction (ARI) on the prevalence of LP. We studied 80 patie nts admitted to hospital for a first infarction. All patients underwen t cardiac catheterization (on D8, on average) and high amplification E GG (on D9, on average). The prevalence of LP in the group with an occl uded ARI (TIMI grade 0 or 1) was 54 % versus 19 % in the patent ARI gr oup (TIMI grade 2 or 3) (p > 0.01). It is concluded that revasculariza tion of the ARI (either by thrombolysis or physiological fibrinolysis) is accompanied by a lower incidence of late potentials after myocardi al infarction.