Influence of Collateral Filling of the Occluded Infarct-related Coronary Artery on Prognosis After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Previous studies showed that long-term morbidity and mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are influenced by the presence or absence of anterograde flow in the infarct artery. In comparison with patients with anterograde flow, those whose infarct artery remains occluded are more likely to have unstable angina, recurrent AMI, congestive heart failure and sudden death. This study was performed to assess the influence of collateral filling of the infarct artery on long-term morbidity and mortality in surviving patients of initial AMI in whom the infarct artery was occluded. Over a 12.5-year period, 146 subjects (108 men and 38 women, aged 25 to 76 years) with AMI, no anterograde flow in the infarct artery, and no disease of other coronary arteries were medically treated and followed for 42 +/- 28 (mean +/- standard deviation) months. Of these subjects, 120 had angiographic evidence of collateral filling of the infarct artery (group I), whereas the remaining 26 did not (group II). The groups were similar in age, sex, cardioactive medications, left ventricular performance and infarct artery. They were also similar in incidence of unstable angina (19% of group I, 31% of group II; p = not significant [NS]), recurrent AMI (12% of group I, 8% of group II; p = NS), congestive heart failure (16% of group I, 12% of group II; p = NS) and cardiac death (16% of group I, 19% of group II; p = NS). Thus, angiographic evidence of collateral filling of the infarct artery in surviving patients of AMI exerts no demonstrable influence (beneficial or detrimental) on long-term morbidity or mortality.