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A prospective concurrent study was made on 2 groups of patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction admitted at random into the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) or general wards (GW). After excluding those older than 70 years of age, the two groups were similarly matched according to their ages and clinical severity. Those who were initially treated in the CCU had a higher chance of survival from myocardial infarction as compared with those in the GW. The overall mortality was 15.3% (17/111) and 29.3% (27/92) respectively (P less than 0.02), and the risk of dying in the GW comparing to that in the CCU was 2.3 (95% confidence interval 1.1-4.8). Sudden death was more frequently encountered in those treated in the GW. Our findings strongly support the use of the CCU for patients below 70 years.