[Clinical course and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction in the elderly (author's transl)].

71 of 840 patients admitted to an intensive care unit (I.C.U.) between 1970 and 1974 because of acute myocardial infarction were aged over 80 years. Age was thus an important determinant of infarction and the death-rate rose steeply with age, the hospital death-rate being 61% in those over 80 but only 8.4% in those under 50 years. The high incidence and severity of haemodynamic complications (pulmonary oedema, generalized heart failure, cardiogenic shock) were the main cause of the high death-rate. Supraventricular arrhythmias (atrial flutter and fibrillation) were frequent. Early treatment in an I.C.U. improved prognosis even in the elderly patient, by control of conduction disturbances and other arrhythmias but also by early recognition and treatment of haemodynamic complications.