Abstract
Employing 145 patients with acute myocardial infarction who survived more than one month after the attack, the factors interfering the progress of rehabilitation program and the long-term prognosis of the disease were investigated in this study. The patients were divided into following 4 groups according to the period required for attaining the target of the program : Group A (14 cases) attaining the target within 60 days, group B (97 cases) taking more than 60 days to attain it, group C (23 cases) being unable to attain it even after taking much time and group D (11 cases) quitting the program on the way.
Main interfering factors included congestive heart failure, anginal attack, arrhythmias, infection, cerebrovascular accident and their sequelae, disorders of movement of the extremities, abnormalities in exercise electrocardiogram taken at each stage of rehabilitation and reattack of myocardial infarction. The patients of group A experienced minimal interfering factors and showed a very favorable prognosis. It was found that the frequency of interfering factors was increased, however the long-term prognosis was favorable in group B. In group C the interfering factors were most frequently seen and the prognosis was very poor with higher mortality rate in the first three months.
