Apoptosis as a prognostic indicator of long-term mortality and sudden cardiac death in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy undergoing palliative surgical treatment

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis has been described in dilated cardiomyopathies, but its clinical relevance remains unclear. In this study, we investigated if preoperative clinical variables and if the presence of cellular apoptosis in left ventricle fragments resected during partial left ventriculectomy had any influence on long-term survival after this palliative surgical procedure.