Prognosis
2/3 of patients with heart attacks die in the prehospitalization phase, i.e. the time before arriving at the hospital, the most common cause of death being ventricular fibrillation. The risk of fatal arrhythmias is highest immediately after the infarction – therefore it is important to provide patients with an efficient therapy as soon as possible. Left heart failure (left ventricular insufficiency) as a complication of myocardial infarction is a significant risk factor for death after the infarction: With increasing left heart failure, the mortality rate of heart attack patients increases.
The long-term prognosis of CHD patients (patients with narrowed coronary arteries = coronary heart disease) is influenced by various factors. <– Back to the main topic heart attack
- Extent of left heart weakness (degree of heart failure) or the size of the lost heart muscle area that can no longer perform physiological wall movement during heart contraction
- If there is angina pectoris pain or if ischemic signs are triggered in the exercise ECG, the patient’s prognosis is worsened.
- Cardiac arrhythmias with a reduced ability to adapt the heart rate to the current stress situation should be interpreted as a sign of a worsening of the prognosis.
- With the increasing number of vessels affected, the risk of mortality for the patient increases. The worst prognosis has a vasoconstriction localized at the trunk of the vessel (close to the aortic junction).
- If risk factors continue to exist after the infarction, coronary heart disease (CHD) progresses and the risk of another infarction increases.
