ANESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIOMYOPATHIES- A Review -

Cardiomyopathy literally means “heart muscle disease”, and refers to the deterioration of the function of the myocardium for any reason. Patients with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of dysrhythmias or sudden cardiac death. Cardiomyopathies can generally be categorized into two groups, based on World Health Organization guidelines: extrinsic and intrinsic. In extrinsic cardiomyopathies the primary pathology is outside the myocardium. Most cardiomyopathies are extrinsic, because the most common cause is ischemia. Intrinsic cardiomyopathies is weakness in the muscle of the heart that is not due to an identifiable external cause. To make a diagnosis of an intrinsic cardiomyopathy, significant coronary artery disease should be ruled out. The term intrinsic cardiomyopathy does not describe the specific etiology of weakened heart muscle.