Dilated cardiomyopathy after electrical injury: report of two cases.

The specific etiologic factor and pathogenesis of most dilated cardiomyopathies have yet to be described definitively. Hypotheses of the etiologic factor of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) abound. This report describes two patients with electrical injury in whom DCM developed after the electrical insult in the absence of other precipitating causes. Further histologic examination of myocardial tissue after electrical injury may reveal clues regarding the pathophysiology behind electrically induced DCM. Because electrical injury may be associated with myocardial dysfunction, short- and long-term evaluation of left ventricular function may be warranted.