To analyze the survival and functional capacity 3 years after an acute myocardial infarction in patients older than 80 years.

It is a retrospective study. We studied all patients admitted from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 1997 with a myocardial infarction who were older than 80 years. The analysis of functional capacity was realized through telephone interview. We analyzed mortality during hospital stay and 3 years after. Used was a daily activity scale (DAS) compounded by five actions (walking, dressing, bathing, cleaning and eating). Each action had a punctuation from 0 to 2 (0 = total dependence, 1 = partial dependence and 2 = independence). The total punctuation had a range from 0 to 10. The statistical analysis was realized by Student t-test and values P < 0.05 were taken to establish a statistically significant difference.

Studied were 112 patients (48.21% were male). The localization of the myocardial infarction was anterior in 63.39% cases and 77.67% developed Q wave. During hospital stay 41 patients died (36.60%), at the end of the first year 53 patients were dead (50.89% accumulate mortality), and after 3 years 65 patients were dead (the accumulate mortality was 58.03%). The 47 survivors had a mean DAS 8.42 ± 3.01. There were significant differences on comparing the development of Q-wave (8.81 with Q-wave vs 8.22 without Q-wave) and the sex (8.95 males vs 7.86 females). None had significant differences according to the localization of myocardial infarction (8.25 anterior vs 8.69 inferior).

Patients older than 80 years with a myocardial infarction had an acceptable functional capacity 3 years later, although the accumulate mortality was elevated.