Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Variable | Improvement group (n=21) | No improvement group (n=86) | p Value |
| Age (years) | 56 (13) | 60 (11) | NS |
| Male | 18 (86%) | 74 (86%) | NS |
| Anterior infarct | 16 (79%) | 36 (42%) | 0.005 |
| Inferior infarct | 5 (24%) | 50 (58%) | 0.005 |
| Previous infarction | 4 (19%) | 11 (13%) | NS |
| Thrombolytic treatment | 15 (71%) | 57 (66%) | NS |
| Primary PTCA | 4 (19%) | 7 (8%) | NS |
| Reperfusion treatment | 19 (90%) | 64 (74%) | NS |
| Q wave infarction | 9 (43%) | 67 (78%) | 0.002 |
| Peak creatine kinase (U/l) | 607 (1332) | 1603 (1290) | NS |
| Peak MB fraction (U/l) | 140 (128) | 150 (94) | NS |
| Drugs at discharge | |||
| β Blockers | 18 (86%) | 67 (78%) | NS |
| ACE inhibitors | 8 (38%) | 40 (47%) | NS |
| Nitrates | 8 (38%) | 33 (38%) | NS |
| Calcium antagonists | 3 (14%) | 15 (17%) | NS |
| End diastolic volume index (ml/m2) | 63 (8) | 63 (14) | NS |
| End systolic volume index (ml/m2) | 33 (8) | 33 (13) | NS |
| Ejection fraction (%) | 48 (7) | 49 (8) | NS |
| Wall motion score index | 1.61 (0.24) | 1.56 (0.27) | NS |
| Number of viable segments | 2.4 (1.16) | 0.90 (1.08) | <0.001 |
| Viability | 17 (81%) | 30 (35%) | <0.001 |
Values are mean (SD) or n (%).
ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; PTCA, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.