Summary

The mortality of ischemic heart disease, which is an important cause of heart failure, decreased in the last years. Nevertheless, it still is the main cause of death in the western countries, including Brazil. The ischemic etiology, which is a major cause of mortality in cardiovascular diseases, is already responsible for great part of cases of heart failure. There are evidences that the etiology of heart failure interferes with its prognosis and treatment. This article reviews the epidemiology, prognosis and treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy, focusing the differences regarding to dilated cardiomyopathy.