AimTo assess the usefulness of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in the prognostic stratification of patients with a recent myocardial infarction.MethodThe study population included 75 patients consecutively admitted at our institution for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). All patients underwent ABPM 3 weeks after discharge and were subsequently followed for 12 months.ResultsThe age (Y), mean 24-hour diastolic blood pressure (mDBP) and mean 24-hour beat-to-beat interval (mBBI) values were found to be independent predictors of the combined endpoint of cardiac death and symptomatic left ventricular dysfunction during the follow-up period. A prognostic index was then developed from such variables, according to the formula (mDBP + mBBI/10) minus; Y. This index, when considered as a categorical variable, in its lsquo;lowrsquo; figures (cut-off 88), showed a significant prognostic value (p 0.0001). The predictive value of the index for the combined endpoint was higher than left ventricular ejection fraction (50 versus 36).
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