A comparison of transmural and nontransmural acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

The records of 104 patients who had enzyme curves diagnostic for acute myocardial infarction (MI) were analyzed to determine what differences, if any, existed between the clinical course of patients with transmural myocardial infarction (TMI) and patients with nontransmural myocardial infarction (NTMI). The patients were subdivided into the two groups on the basis of accepted electrocardiographic criteria. There were no significant differences in prevalence or type of arrhythmias, occurrence of cardiogenic shock, or mortality in the hospital between the two groups. Enzymes tended to be somewhat lower in those with NTMI than in those with TMI. Clinical congestive heart failure (CHF) occurred more frequently in patients with TMI than in those with NTMI. Therefore, determining by electrocardiographic criteria whether or not a MI is transmural or nontransmural does not make it possible to predict the outcome or pattern of complications in a patient with acute myocardial infarction.