title: Acute severe cardiac failure complicating myocardial infarction. Experience with 100 patients referred for consideration of mechanical left ventricular assistance.
abstract: One hundred patients were referred with suspected acute cardiac failure following acute myocardial infarction. The diagnosis was confirmed in 72: 31 of these patients underwent elective medical treatment, with 2 survivors (6%); 41 were accepted for counter pulsation, but 9 died before this could be initiated and another 2 died shortly after vain attempts to pass the balloon catheter were abandoned; 30 patients underwent counterpulsation with 14 hospital survivors (47%). Survivor status was usually good. Results of counter pulsation were better in patients who were not shocked (with 5/5 survivors) than in those who were in shock (with 9 of 25 survivors). Results support the view that counterpulsation (alone or combined with corrective surgery) may play an important role in the complications of myocardial infarction provided intervention is early.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001243:Assisted Circulation; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D012770:Shock, Cardiogenic / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy