CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE OF HYPOXEMIA WITHOUT CONGESTIVE-HEART-FAILURE IN PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIA INFARCTION

This study investigated the clinical significance of hypoxemia without apparent clinical congestive heart failure in patients with acute myo cardial infarction (AMI). Sixty-two patients with AMI of the Killip gr oup I and Forrester subset I state were stratified into a hypoxemia gr oup and a normoxemia group. The increase in the neutrophil count and t he severity of the coronary artery disease as graded by Gensini's scor e were significantly higher in the hyperemic group. The cardiac index was lower in hypoxemic than normoxemic patients. Myocardial scintigrap hy revealed no acute difference in defect scores (DS) or left ventricu lar ejection fraction (LVEF) between the two groups, but DS was signif icantly higher (p < 0.01) and LVEF was lower (p < 0.01) in the hypoxem ic group 2 years after infarction. Patients with hypoxemia have a more severe angiographic coronary pathology than normoxemic patients, and latent cardiac hypofunction occurs.