[Surgical myocardial revascularization during the 1st 15 days of evolution of acute myocardial infarction].

Revascularization significantly improves early and late prognosis in acute myocardial infarction and has prompted substantial changes in therapeutic stategies. We report 140 patients aged 60.3 years old (123 male) operated within 15 days of sustaining an acute myocardial infarction, between January 1984 and December 1989. Coronary angiogram showed single vessel disease in 8 (6%), double vessel disease in 32 (23%), triple vessel disease in 85 (61%) and left main vessel disease in 13 (9%). Indications for surgery were postinfarction angina in 92 patients (66%), multiple severe coronary stenoses in 18 (13%), infarction of less than six hours from onset in 16 (11%), acute angioplasty failure in 7 (5%) and cardiogenic shock in 7 (5%). Thirty one patients were operated during the initial 24 h of infarction (16 with less than 6 h), 14 between the second and third day and 95 between the fourth and fifteenth day. Overall mortality was 4.3% (6/140). Among patients with failed angioplasty and cardiogenic shock, mortality was 23% (7/140), among patients with postinfarction angina this figure was 2.1% (2/92). No patient operated within 6 hours of infarction onset or due to severe coronary stenosis, died. Ninety seven percent of patients were followed during mean of 49 months. Three patients had a new acute myocardial infarction, two had sudden death and two died of unrelated causes. One required angioplasty and none was reoperated. Five years actuarial survival was 95% and the actuarial probability of being free of acute myocardial infarction, angioplasty or reoperation at five years was 99 and 100% respectively. It is concluded that early surgical revascularization in cute myocardial infarction is safe and has excellent long term results.