Pedro P G, Pereirinha A, Fiúza M, Correia L C, Dias E, Pinto F, Carvalho M, Vega J, Silva Z, Lacerda A
Interno da Especialidade de Cardiologia do Hospital de Santa Maria.
Rev Port Cardiol. 1991 Feb;10(2):133-9.
To evaluate age group and i.v. thrombolytic therapy (TT) influences on cardiac rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI). CONCEPTION: Retrospective analysis of patients (pts) admitted during 1988-89 to an Intensive Care Unit of a Terciary Hospital (UCIM) with AMI.
430 pts were admitted with AMI. During this period 89 pts were submitted to TT (25% age greater than or equal to 65 years). Eighty four pts died during hospital stay and 42 had autopsy study (50%). Only 7 of nonautopsied pts died of undetermined cause. Dead pts had age m +/- SD 72 +/- 11 years old (yo) (37% female, 63% male and 74% age greater than or equal to 65 yo).
Nineteen pts died of cardiac rupture (CR) (23%). CR prevalence was 1.4% (3/218) in pts less than 65 yo and 7.5% (16/212) in pts greater than or equal to 65 yo (p less than 0.01). CR prevalence in pts submitted to TT (4.5%) 4/89, was similar to pts not submitted to TT (4.4%) 15/341 (n.s.). Pts less than 65 yo had nonsignificant differences in CR wether submitted or not to TT (0% vs 2%). Elderly pts (greater than or equal to 65 yo) CR prevalence was 18% (4/22) in those submitted to TT vs 6% (12/190) in those not submitted to TT (p less than 0.05).
Thrombolytic therapy may carry an additional risk for cardiac rupture in elderly patients (greater than or equal to 65 yo).