Rational management following diagnosis of myocardial ischemia.

Assuming one knows that myocardial ischemia is present, rational management will first require a careful history to assess the severity of symptoms, such as angina, the lifestyle of the patient, his/her age, and the availability of resources. When a patient is greater than or equal to 70 years, has little angina, even the demonstration of ischemia will not require early arteriography; pharmacological therapy on a trial basis is the preferred approach. Judging the response to oral nitroglycerine, isosorbide dinitrate, beta blockers and calcium antagonists, (often combined and in modest doses) is good rational management. If symptoms persist despite therapy or when the patient is younger and has symptoms which cannot be alleviated by changes in lifestyle and/or workload, the established ischemia assumes much greater significance and nearly always requires a coronary arteriogram for proper management. Once the coronary arteriogram has been analyzed in terms of severity of flow impairment, correlation with the tests showing the extent of myocardial ischemia must be made, best during exercise. If single vessel disease is found with a local dyskinetic (echo, scintigraphy, or angio) segment, which corresponds to a stenosis of greater than or equal to 70%, particularly when found in the anterior descending artery, balloon dilatation (PTCA) or bypass surgery (CABG) should follow. When tests, such as the ECG, are obtained during an attack of angina, the Chahine classification may be used first. In Class IIa with pure ST-segment elevation significant atherosclerotic lesions are absent in most patients, while local spasm can be shown upon provocation. Here rational management can be limited to calcium antagonists sometimes combined with beta blockers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)