The natural history of coronary artery disease of long duration

Relationship of myocardial infarction to presence of angina pectoris in patients with coronary heart disease: Lack of abolition of angina by infarction

“…Our data and that of others regarding the high frequency of post-infarction angina (4,6,10,12,13,18) and the lack of its loss after infarction (13) do not support the concept that intraoperative infarction is an important mechanism of angina relief in patients undergoing coronary bypass graft surgery. However, this process is possible in those instances in which angina is related to a single ischemic segment which is infarcted at surgery (1,7).…”

“…These findings are consistent with the assertion of Friedberg that although angina may occasionally clear following infarction, "Much more often attacks of angina pectoris on effort or at rest persist after cardiac infarction, and in about half of the cases in which angina pectoris is absent before the attack, it develops after recovery from the acute infarct" (5). That chronic angina pectoris is common after myocardial infarction has been well documented by clinical studies over the past four decades (3,4,6,9,10,12,13,15,18). In the majority of investigations angina was present in over one-half to two-thirds of post-infarction patients (4,6,10,12,13,18); in the other studies the symptom was noted in approximately one-third of patients (3,9,15).…”

“…That chronic angina pectoris is common after myocardial infarction has been well documented by clinical studies over the past four decades (3,4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18). In the majority of investigations angina was present in over one-half to two-thirds of post-infarction patients (4,6,10,12,13,18); in the other studies the symptom was noted in approximately one-third of patients (3,9,15).…”