Echocardiographic assessment of the incidence of mechanical complications during the early phase of myocardial infarction in the reperfusion era : a French multicentre prospective registry

Summary Background Since the early reports on the incidence of mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) assessed by echocardiography published in the 1980s, the management of patients with AMI has changed considerably, in particular with the progressive development of early revascularisation. Methods The aim of this multicentre study was to assess the incidence of mechanical complications of AMI in the reperfusion era. Nine-hundred and eight consecutive patients were included. Echocardiography was performed on admission and at discharge. Seventy-eight percent of patients were revascularised at the acute phase. Results The following incidence rates of mechanical complications were observed: mitral regurgitation 28%, secondary to left ventricular (LV) remodelling (43%) or papillary muscle dysfunction (57%); pericardial effusion 6.6%, more frequent after anterior AMI and associated with a lower ejection fraction (EF); LV thrombus 2.4%, mainly after anterior AMI and associated with a lower EF (38 ± 10% vs. 48 ± 12%; p  II (OR 1.91, 95%CI 1.27-2.87; p  Conclusion This study demonstrates the favourable prognostic influence of early revascularisation as shown by the low incidence of mechanical complications after AMI, and underlines the persistent relationship between the development of these complications and depressed LV function.