Five-year mortality after acute myocardial infarction in relation to previous history, level of initial care, complications in hospital, and medication at discharge.

The purpose of this study was to describe the prognosis during 5 years of follow-up in a consecutive population of patients discharged from hospital after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in relation to clinical history, level of initial care, complications during hospitalization, and medication at discharge. All patients admitted to a single hospital from February 15, 1986 to November 9, 1987 due to AMI, regardless of age and whether or not they were treated in the coronary care unit, and who were discharged alive from hospital were included in the study. There were 862 patients with AMI, 740 of whom were discharged alive. Information on medication at discharge was available in 713 patients (96%). In a multivariate analysis taking into account age, sex, history of cardiovascular diseases, whether patients were admitted to coronary care unit or not, complications during hospitalization, and medication at discharge, the following factors appeared to be independent predictors of mortality: age (p < 0.001), history of AMI (p < 0.001), congestive heart failure in hospital (p < 0.001), whether beta-blockers had been prescribed at discharge (p < 0.01), and a history of diabetes (p < 0.01). This study indicates that in consecutive patients surviving the hospital phase of AMI, the development of complications while in hospital and the manner in which medication was prescribed at discharge independently influenced their long-term prognosis, but age was the most important factor in long-term prognosis.