Management of patients with acute myocardial infarction and end-stage renal disease.

I suppose most physicians, particularly cardiologists, are aware of the malignant nature of the combination of severe end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and symptomatic coronary artery disease. The term “end-stage renal disease” is often used rather casually in patients whose renal function is not normal. In my view, ESRD should include only long-term dialysis patients who are candidates for renal transplantation or who have undergone renal transplantation. I suspect that those who have undergone renal transplantation have a better prognosis than those patients who remain with long-term dialysis treatment. In a Medline search, I was able to find three articles published in peer-reviewed journals dealing with the subject of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and renal dysfunction.