Treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy has been the focus of increased attention by cardiologists due to recent evidence of an important outcome study comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) plus optimal medical treatment vs optimal medical treatment alone, concluding for the futility of myocardial revascularization by PCI. A relatively older trial of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the same condition, on the other hand, had concluded for some prognostic improvement at a long-term follow-up. This short manuscript addresses how to triage such patients, frequently encountered in medical practice and considering clinical presentation, imaging results, and surgical risk, to provide practical guidance to treatment.
Keywords: CABG; Coronary artery bypass surgery; Coronary revascularization; Hibernation; Ischemic cardiomyopathy; Myocardial ischemia; Myocardial revascularization; Myocardial viability; PCI; Percutaneous coronary intervention.
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