Physical Working Capacity Shortly after Myocardial Infarction

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Abstract
The change in the circulatory function during the early postmyocardial infarction phase was studied in 10 untreated, middle-aged men, who were not suffering from angina pectoris. During a period from 7-10 days to 12 weeks after sustaining acute myocardial infarction, the patients carried out 5-9 exercise tests, in which the initial load was 10 W; this load was increased by 10 W/min up to 100 W or a load corresponding to a heart rate of 100 and 120 beats/min, respectively. Expressed as work per heart beat, the circulatory function increased in 9 of the 10 patients, and the mean value increased by between 4 and 15 %, depending on the degree of loading.In patients who have undergone uncomplicated myocardial infarction and who are not suffering from angina pectoris, the circulatory function during submaximal work seems to return to the normal level fairly quickly and not to constitute an obstacle to early physical rehabilitation.