[Long-term prognosis in patients with chronic postinfarct aneurysms. I. Conservative treatment of patients].

Natural history of 99 patients with angiographically defined left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) has been studied. Congestive heart failure (CHF) was predominant in 52.5% patients. Mean follow-up was 94 months. The cumulative survival at 1, 5, 7, 10 years were 92, 65, 60 and 28% respectively. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure averaged 2.8 kPa (LVEDP), ejection fraction (EF) 31%, contractile segment ejection fraction (CSEF) 45%, stroke work 6.7 mj. g-1, diastolic compliance 0.36 kPa-1 and passive elastic modulus 64.1 kPa. High risk groups of patients were those with LVEDP more than 3.3 kPa, CSEF less then 40%, EF less then 20% and with extent of LVA more then 40% of the diastolic area of the left ventricle. The Cox analysis of survival indicated following variables predicted outcome: functional impairment due to CHF, LVEDP, LVEDVI and number of vessels diseased.