Cardiomyopathies and anaesthesia

Cardiomyopathy is considered as a heart muscle disease of multiple aetiologies, unlike other cardiac diseases related to a definitive pathophysiology. With more and more research and with the advent of genetic analysis pin pointing the disease causing mutations, causative factors have been defined and classifications and definitions have changed over time. Patients with these conditions present to anaesthesiologists in elective and emergency situations, placement of automated internal cardioverter defibrillator (AICD) devices or biventricular pacing but may also be diagnosed at anaesthetic pre-assessment. We describe cardiomyopathies such as dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, post-partum cardiomyopathy and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in brief and their anaesthetic management.