[Prognostic and therapeutic considerations on intraventricular block during a course of acute myocardial infarct].

Intraventricular block was observed in 10% of a series of 250 cases of acute myocardial infarct observed at the Medical Division, S. Angelo Hospital, Messina. Mortality was not strictly related to the presence of block, though this was a negative factor in prognosis, but essentially to the degree of myocardial efficiency. It is felt that temporary pacemakers should only be fitted where myocardial insufficiency is slight, though this step can also be taken in more serious cases until further clinical evidence finally establishes the question of treatment.