Relevance of delayed hospital admission on development of cardiac rupture during acute myocardial infarction: study in 225 patients with free wall, septal or papillary muscle rupture.

Delayed hospital admission or undue in-hospital physical activity appears to increase the risk of rupture in patients prone to this complication (i.e., a first transmural AMI, absence of overt heart failure and advanced age); recurrence of ischemia/infarction emerges as a potential additional trigger in a proportion of these patients.