[What is the exercise capacity of patients with heart infarction after surgery of heart wall aneurysms?].

Abstract

29 patients with a postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm underwent an aneurysmectomy. The majority of patients exhibited a marked symptomatic improvement, a decrease in pulmonary artery pressure and an increase in cardiac index. The exercise capacity however was lower than normal in 80%. Good results were especially seen in patients with involvement of only one major coronary vessel by coronary artery disease and a good contractile function of the residual myocardium not involved by aneurysm.