Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Excerpt

Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is a term that refers to the heart's decreased ability to pump blood properly, due to myocardial damage brought upon by ischemia. When discussing the term ICM, coronary artery disease (CAD) has to be addressed. CAD is a condition characterized by the formation of plaques in the coronary blood vessels, decreasing their capacity to supply nutrients and oxygen to the contractile heart muscle. ICM has a spectrum of clinical changes which eventually leads to congestive heart failure (CHF). Initially, there is a reversible loss of cardiac contractile function because of decreased oxygen supply to the heart muscle; however, when there is ischemia for a prolonged period, there is irreversible cardiac muscle damage resulting in cardiac remodeling. Remodeling is primarily achieved by myocardial fibrosis which results in decreased cardiac function, arrhythmia, and possible cardiac conduction system impairment.