The ever expanding spectrum of ischemic left ventricular dysfunction.

Ischemic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction includes a number of discrete entities, such as acute LV failure in angina, acute myocardial infarction, and ischemic cardiomyopathy. Recently, new entities have arisen to expand the spectrum of ischemic LV function. These include postinfarct diastolic dysfunction, stunning, hibernation, and preconditioning. The tantalizing possibility exists that several of these states can coexist. There are widely differing underlying pathophysiologic states. Hence it is not easy to be dogmatic about whether a given group of therapeutic agents, such as the calcium antagonists, may be beneficial in ischemic LV dysfunction. Nonetheless, there is experimental evidence that calcium antagonists may benefit the specific entity of stunning and clinical evidence that they benefit postinfarct ischemic LV diastolic dysfunction. These agents, as a group, should be evaluated in reperfusion and postinfarct dysfunctional syndromes.