Results of long-term administration of anticoagulants in patients with myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease without infarction.

Long-term treatment with anticoagulants (Sintrom, Suncumar) was applied in 300 cases of myocardial infarction and 106 cases of coronary heart disease without infarction aged 31 to 70 years over periods ranging from one to six years. The control group comprised 347 patients with myocardial infarction and 195 patients with coronary heart disease without infarction in the same age range who were not treated with Syncumar because of contraindications. Treatment with Syncumar was started on the first day at hospital and was continued after discharge from the hospital on an outpatient basis. The level of prothrombin was kept within the range of 35-45%. In the Syncumar treated group the mortality in patients with myocardial infarction was 8.0% and in the control group it was 20.5%. In the Syncumar treated group the incidence of repeated infarctions was 12.7% and in the controls it was 33.1%. On the other hand, no effects of Syncumar on the mortality of patients with chronic coronary heart disease without infarction was observed.