Characteristics and clinical outcome of 458 patients with acute myocardial infarction requiring mechanical ventilation. Results of the BEAT registry of the ALKK-study group.

Background: Information about the clinical course of patients with acute myocardial infarction requiring mechanical ventilation is scarce. We sought to evaluate the clinical outcome of a large cohort of such patients in clinical practice.

Methods: The German BEAT registry prospectively enrolled consecutive patients requiring mechanical ventilation who were admitted to an internal intensive care unit (ICU) of 45 participating German hospitals between September 2001 and June 2002.

Randomized comparison of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and medical therapy in stable survivors of acute myocardial infarction with single vessel disease: a study of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Leitende Kardiologische Krankenhausärzte.

Background: Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of the infarct-related artery in stable survivors of acute myocardial infarction is often performed, even in patients without any symptoms or residual ischemia. Despite the lack of randomized studies, it is widely believed that this intervention will improve the clinical outcome of these patients.

Methods And Results: Three hundred patients with single vessel disease of the infarct vessel and no or minor angina pectoris in the subacute phase (1 to 6 weeks) after an acute myocardial infarction were randomized to angioplasty (n=149) or medical therapy (n=151).