ABSTRACT
Each year, in the United States approximately one million people sustain an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with about one-quarter being fatal1. Almost all of these patients have underlying atherosclerosis with superimposed thrombus. The exception are patients with conditions in which myocardial oxygen demand exceeds the available supply (i.e. severe anemia, thyrotoxicosis). Although the incidence of AMI and its mortality have been decreasing, AMI remains the most common cause of death in Western society. The reason for the decreased incidence of acute myocardial infarction is presumably multifactorial. Awareness of risk factors for atherosclerosis, which include hypertension, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and a family history of premature coronary disease, has led to more aggressive treatment and prevention. Newer medical treatments and use of more aggressive forms of interventional therapy (percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary bypass surgery) may be partially responsible.
