title: Natural history of the first non-Q wave myocardial infarction in the placebo arm of the Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial.
abstract: Despite extensive investigation, the prognostic significance of the first non-Q wave acute myocardial infarction (AMI), when compared with Q wave AMI, remains controversial. The placebo arm of the Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT) provides a unique opportunity to compare the long-term cardiac events in patients suffering from their first and uncomplicated Q wave or non-Q wave AMI. Of a total 3837 patients enrolled in the BHAT, 3375 were classifiable in terms of appearance or absence of Q waves during the prerandomization period. Of these, 1444 patients with their first AMI were randomized to placebo. Of these, 1186 experienced a Q wave AMI; the remaining 258 suffered a non-Q wave AMI. At 36 months of follow-up, the mortality was 8.4% in the Q wave AMI group and 7.4% in the non-Q wave AMI group. Sudden death was 5.4% in the Q wave AMI group and 4.7% in the non-Q wave AMI group. The reinfarction rate was 5.5% in the Q wave AMI patients and 7.4% in the non-Q wave AMI patients. More patients developed angina (44.6%) in the non-Q wave AMI group compared with 35.2% in the Q wave AMI group. Despite similar long-term cardiac event rates within the two groups, the 1-year mortality rate for patients with Q wave AMI appeared higher than in the non-Q wave AMI group, 5.2% versus 3.1%, respectively. In contrast, the rate of reinfarction appeared higher at the 12-month follow-up period in the non-Q wave AMI group, 4.7% versus 3.4%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)c
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gheorghiade
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tilley
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D010919:Placebos; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos; D011433:Propranolol