The authors give an account of their experience with early echocardiography (two-dimensional examination, division of left ventricle into 20 segments) during stratification of patients with acute myocardial infarction (a group of patients with a first infarction). They evaluated the presence or absence of serious asynergy (akinesia or dyskinesia) of the left ventricle and its relationship to the incidence of complications (serious dysrhythmia, decompensation, cardiogenic shock and death). The relations between asynergy and different complications were tested by means of multidimensional contingency tables. A statistically significant partial correlation (p less than 0.01) was recorded between the most serious asynergy and the presence of decompensation and also cardiogenic shock. The detection of serious asynergy of the left ventricle is a useful stratification indicator of the risk of the acute infarction, as no patient without asynergy died or overcame cardiogenic shock.

Keywords: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Arrhythmias, Cardiac /diagnosis/; Echocardiography; Female; Heart Failure /diagnosis/; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction /complications/; Time Factors