FACTORS INFLUENCING RUPTURE OF THE HEART AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Abstract

It is the purpose of this paper to review the factors related to the occurrence of rupture or perforation of the heart after myocardial infarction. Rupture of the heart has been recognized for over 300 years, and in recent times it has been the subject of thorough autopsy and clinical evaluation. The following salient facts have become established through previous investigations: 1. Such ruptures rarely occur in patients younger than 50 years of age.¹ 2. Patients who have unlimited activity after infarction occurs apparently have a higher incidence of rupture than those treated with "adequate" rest.² 3. Rupture associated with infarction almost universally occurs in the first few weeks following infarction; it rarely if ever occurs in an old scar.³ 4. The chances of rupture occurring are three times greater in patients in whom hypertension persists after infarction than in those who have normal or subnormal blood