Myocardial hibernation: a clinician's perspective

Patients with myocardial hibernation have reversible left ventricular dysfunction after revascularization. Viability testing can identify those patients whose left ventricular dysfunction is primarily due to hibernation rather than scar. Patients with a substantial amount of hibernating myocardium seem to have a better outcome with revascularization than medical therapy. Patients with poor viability do worse after revascularization than patients with good viability.