Role of dobutamine echocardiography in detection of myocardial viability for predicting outcome after revascularization in ischemic cardiomyopathy

Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart failure in the We stern world. Compared with medical therapy, surgical revascularization has been shown to improve survival rates In nonrandomized trials In patients wi th Ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, perioperative mortality is high in thi s group of patients who do not demonstrate significant viable myocardium. E chocardiography during dobutamine infusion has been shown to reliably detec t viable myocardium. Several studies have demonstrated Its ability to provi de high predictive value for recovery of both regional and global left vent ricular function after revascularization. Indeed, nonrandomized studies als o have indicated Its value in predicting which patients with severe ischemi c cardiomyopathy are likely to survive after revascularization, Dobutamine stress echocardiography has emerged as a safe and valuable technique for th e assessment of myocardial viability and for the selection of patients for revascularization.