Changing results of treatment of infarction in a coronary case unit.
A comparison has been made between the first 300 patients admitted from 1963 to 1967 to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of The Royal Melbourne Hospital with transmural cardiac infarction, and two groups of similar numbers admitted in 1969 and 1974. While the age spectrum and duration of stay of survivors in the Unit has remained similar, there has been a reduction in mortality, most marked in the most recent group of patients. The improvement was seen in all age groups, but was statistically significant only in the patients under 50 years and over 70 years. The reduction occurred in both sexes and was most evident in the patients admitted with severe cardiac infarction. The improvement in results of treatment is due in part, at least, to improvements in management introduced since 1963.
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000401:mortality; D001315:Australia; D003325:Coronary Care Units; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors