IMMEDIATE PROGNOSIS AND 5 YEAR SURVIVAL AFTER ARTERIAL EMBOLECTOMY FOLLOWING MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 150  (1) , 41-44
Abstract
Patients (122) with 135 arterial emboli, 31 of whom had had a recent myocardial infarction, were observed during a 12 yr period. Six patients died after embolectomy resulting in a 19% in-hospital mortality; amputation was required in 5 patients. The median time from infarction to embolization was 14 days. Length of follow-up period after operation ranged from 4-73 mo., with a mean of 36 mo. Life table analysis of patients alive 30 days after operation revealed a cumulative 5-yr survival rate of 26%. Recurrent myocardial infarction was responsible for 60% of the deaths. This is in contrast with a 60-70% 5-yr survival rate reported in the literature for patients having an infarction only. Although the immediate mortality was greater than that for patients with arterial emboli without infarction, an aggressive approach directed toward limb salvage is urged in these patients, as manifested by the 84% salvage rate in this series.

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