[Idiopathic cardiomyopathy of the congestive type. Report of a case]

It is presented a clinical case and autopsy findings of a 72 years old male, with an illness of one month duration, which due to his symptoms was considered initially to have coronary heart disease with a myocardial infarction in evolution. During his hospitalization this picture was ruled out; however, the patient presented different cardiac arrhythmias, 3 episodes of cardiorespiratory arrest and finally refractory congestive heart failure. The patient died. Clinically the diagnosis of primary congestive cardiomyopathy was suspected, and later, correlated with the anatomopathological findings. The literature was reviewed upon the clinical and laboratory studies to reach the diagnosis; which clinically and anatomopathologically is made by exclusion. Due that we do not think very often about this entity, we consider useful the present communication.