Defined as an ejection fraction of less than 40%.
Left ventricular dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease may be reversible related to previous myocardial infarction, since left ventricular function improves substantially and may even normalize following coronary artery bypass graft.
In a randomized trial of patients with ejection fractions of 35% less and coronary artery disease amenable to CABG were randomized to medical therapy alone or medical therapy plus CABG with the primary outcome the rate of death from any cause: there was no significant difference between medical therapy alone and medical therapy plus CABG with respect to the death from any cause, but patients assigned to CABG had lower rates of death from cardiovascular causes and death from any cause or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes (Velasquez EJ et al).