Report of the committee for the evaluation of anticoagulants in the treatment of coronary thrombosis with myocardial infarction

The results in every category studied indicate that the use of anticoagulants improves strikingly the outlook of the patient suffering a coronary occlusion with myocardial infarction.

Abstract

This report summarizes the results obtained by a preliminary statistical analysis of the first 800 cases studied by the Committee for the Evaluation of Anticoagulants in the Treatment of Coronary Thrombosis With Myocardial Infarction. In the analysis the incidence of deaths and of both thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications has been compared in a "control" series of patients treated by conventional methods alone and in a series of "treated" patients who received anticoagulants (Dicumarol, heparin, or both) in addition to conventional therapy. The composition of the two groups was found to be essentially the same. The rates of deaths and the number of thromboembolic complications per 100 cases have been calculated for the control and treated groups as a whole, by week of illness, by age of patient, and by type and location of the specific thromboembolic complication. The percentage of patients developing one or more complications has also been analyzed. The results in every category studied indicate that the use of anticoagulants improves strikingly the outlook of the patient suffering a coronary occlusion with myocardial infarction. The incidence of hemorrhagic manifestations was also analyzed. It was found that about six minor or moderate hemorrhagic manifestations per 100 cases occur in patients not receiving anticoagulants. This incidence is about six per 100 higher in patients receiving anticoagulants.