Long-term prognosis of patients with early post-infarction angina

Refractory post-infarction myocardial ischemia: treatment potential

The treatment of recurrent, refractory post-infarction myocardial ischemia remains an unresolved clinical problem. Aggressive pharmaceutical therapy has limited effectiveness, while percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery are not possible in these patients, due to various reasons. Currently, alternative methods for refractory angina treatment are being developed for patients with chronic stable angina. The potential of these methods in patients with acute coronary syndrome should be investigated in the future studies.

Silent myocardial ischemia

Although much progress has been made in reducing mortality from ischemic cardiovascular disease, this condition remains the leading cause of death throughout the world. This might in part be due to the fact that over half of patients have a catastrophic event (heart attack or sudden death) as their initial manifestation of coronary disease. Contributing to this statistic is the observation that the majority of myocardial ischemic episodes are silent, indicating an inability or failure to sense ischemic damage or stress on the heart. This review examines the clinical characteristics of silent myocardial ischemia, and explores mechanisms involved in the generation of angina pectoris. Possible mechanisms for the more common manifestation of injurious reductions in coronary flow; namely, silent ischemia, are also explored. A new theory for the mechanism of silent ischemia is proposed. Finally, the prognostic importance of silent ischemia and potential future directions for research are discussed.