[The risk of coronary angiography in unstable angina. Survey by the working group of "Functional cardiovascular tests" of the French Society of Cardiology].

Coronary angiography has become a current cardiological investigation in acute coronary insufficiency. A multicentre study was performed by the French Cardiac Society's work group (Pierre Calazel) to define the risk of this investigation. The investigation was performed on 581 patients with unstable angina and the following complications were observed at coronary angiography or during the 48 hours which followed: --16 myocardial infarcts (2,75%); --8 deaths (1,37%), 2 by severe arrhythmias and 6 complicating acute myocardial infarction considered as induced by the coronary angiography. The risk of coronary angiography is higher in unstable angina than in stable angina. The highest risk group are patients with unstable angina after recent infarction. The incidence seems to be related to the severity of the coronary lesions especially those on the main left coronary artery. On the other hand, other factors, such as the period between the onset of pain and coronary angiography and the function of the left ventricle, do not seem to play an important part.