[Ventricular fibrillation in myocardial infarct patients: the factors determining the prognosis].

: Improvement of methods for diagnosis and treatment of myocardial infarction and its complications permitted the mortality and disability resulting from this condition to be considerably reduced. The aim of the study was to analyse in retrospect clinical and functional disorders in subjects with a history of ventricular fibrillation in the acute phase. Over 3 years, 1096 patients with acute myocardial infarction had been admitted to the Department of Cardioresuscitation. Ventricular Fibrillation was cause of death in 2.1% of cases. Over this time period, resuscitation was a success in 2.9%. The following item was found out to be a factor of unfavourable prognosis during the first two years after development of acute myocardial infarction: it was postinfarction dilatation of the left ventricle having a part in the evolution of cardiac insufficiency and contributing to formation of arrhythmogenic substrate and, to a lesser degree, to ventricular fibrillation in the acute phase.