Anesthetic Considerations in Patients with Cardiomyopathies

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.