Compensatory and noncompensatory left ventricular dilatation after myocardial infarction: time course and hemodynamic consequences at rest and during exercise.

Survival after myocardial infarction decreases with left ventricular dilatation, although dilatation at 4 weeks was found to be compensatory. To study this apparent discrepancy, prospective simultaneous volume and hemodynamic measurements at rest were extended in 39 patients with small and 37 with large myocardial infarctions from 4 (range 2 to 6) days and 4 (range 3 to 5) weeks to 6 (range 5 to 8) months after myocardial infarction and were repeated during exercise. In small myocardial infarctions, end-diastolic volume index (EDVI) decreased from 4 days to 6 months; ejection fraction, stroke volume index (SVI), and end-systolic volume index (ESVI) remained unchanged. SVI increased during exercise at 4 weeks and at 6 months. In large myocardial infarctions (n = 37) ESVI (4 days = 38 +/- 3, 4 weeks = 47 +/- 3,* 6 months = 52 +/- 3*; p less than 0.05 versus 4 days) and EDVI (4 days = 72 +/- 3, 4 weeks = 86 +/- 5, 6 months = 92 +/- 5* ; p less than 0.05 versus 4 days and p less than 0.05 versus 4 weeks) increased at constant wedge pressure. SVI remained unchanged beyond 4 weeks (4 days = 35 +/- 2, 4 weeks = 42 +/- 2, 6 months = 42 +/- 2*; *p less than 0.05 versus 4 days) and increased during exercise at 4 weeks (rest = 45 +/- 2, exercise = 55 +/- 3; p less than 0.05) but not at 6 months (rest = 42 +/- 3, exercise = 45 +/- 3; p = NS).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)