Three hundred and twenty eight patients (238 men, 90 women) with an average age of 63.5 +/- 18 years admitted consecutively for acute myocardial infarction over a 24 month period (March 1989-March 1991) were followed up at one year by out-patient appointment, questionnaire or telephonic enquiry. The average delay before hospital admission was 6.7 +/- 44 hours (1 h-48 h). The infarct was transmural in 82% of cases, anterior in 45.3%, inferior in 46.3% and lateral in 8.4% of cases. Forty eight per cent had one or several complications during the hospital period with a 10.4% hospital mortality rate. Thirty eight per cent of patients underwent primary thrombolysis and 9% had primary angioplasty. Seventy four per cent of patients had coronary angiography; 41% underwent deferred angioplasty and 6% surgical revascularisation. The global 1 year survival rate was 81.4%. At follow-up, 52.6% of patients were asymptomatic, 31% had signs of cardiac failure and 18% had residual angina. Sixty five per cent were treated with 2 or 3 drugs; 6% underwent secondary angioplasty and 2.8% secondary coronary bypass surgery. Of the 34% of active subjects, 61.4% declared having returned to full-time professional activity. Therefore, in 1992, a continuous reduction of infarct-related mortality and morbidity was observed.