The electrocardiographic pattern and mortality risk in post-myocardial infarction patients. An 11-year follow-up study.

. Electrocardiograms of 412 male post-myocardial infarction patients have been recorded 1–2 years after their first infarction and classified according to the Minnesota code in groups of possible prognostic significance: A: with major Q changes, B: with Q and T changes, C: a mixed group with hypertrophy, conduction defects and arrhythmias, and “O”: a reference group with normal or fairly normal ECGs. The 11-year incidence of subsequent fatal myocardial infarction was significantly increased with a pathologic ECG at entry. The incidence of sudden death was also increased with a myocardial injury ECG pattern. The present study and a previous 5-year follow-up study which correlated non-fatal as well as fatal coronary relapses to the same ECG changes seem to justify the following conclusion: The predictive value of the post-myocardial infarction ECG is limited with regard to the risk of suffering a new infarct. However, the risk of coronary death seems to be increased when there is persistent ECG evidence of myocardial injury.