CORONARY THROMBOSIS (WITH MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION) TEN YEARS LATER

Abstract

Twenty years have elapsed since coronary thrombosis attained recognition by the medical profession as a clinical entity of common occurrence. In the interim a number of studies bearing on its prognosis have been reported, including two of our own, fifteen and ten years ago, respectively.¹In the majority of the earlier studies predictions as to the outcome of the disease necessarily were of limited value, except for the acute attack and for the first few years thereafter. An insufficient number of years had elapsed to permit a proper perspective in the cases with a more favorable prognosis. The prevailing opinion from the data at hand indicated an uncertain and unfavorable outlook in the majority of instances. However, it is interesting to recall that in 1926 (fifteen years ago) Hamman,²in describing the clinical features of this recently recognized disorder, suggested that, although it always was serious and often