Patients hospitalized for acute coronary heart disease (CHD) in seven acute care hospitals in Nueces County, Texas were identified by active concurrent case registration. Baseline data on clinical, prognostic and sociodemographic characteristics of these patients at the time of the event were collected from the medical record and by interview with the patient. Patients with events meeting diagnostic criteria for acute myocardial infarction (MI) were followed directly through contacts at three months post-discharge and at the anniversary of discharge thereafter to ascertain vital status and to collect information about recurrent myocardial infarction, other changes in health status, and health care practices in the interim. Endpoints included all-cause mortality and deaths attributed to coronary heart disease, and fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction. Data analysis included examination of survival and recurrence of myocardial infarction for the entire cohort of myocardial infarction patients and within ethnic groups; evaluation of potential prognostic factors within and between ethnic groups; and comparison of survival and myocardial infarction recurrence between ethnic groups after adjustment for both baseline and time-dependent covariates.