Scimitar Equity Blog

Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart becomes weakened and enlarged, and cannot pump blood efficiently.  DCM is a disease of the heart muscle, primarily affecting your heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle). The left ventricle becomes enlarged (dilated) and can’t pump blood to your body with as much force as a healthy heart can.   The decreased heart function can affect the lungs, liver, and other body systems. DCM is the most common form of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy occurring more frequently in men than in women and is most common between the ages of 20 and 60 years. 

DCM is one of the cardiomyopathies, a group of diseases that primarily affect the myocardium (the muscle of the heart). Different cardiomyopathies have different causes and affect the heart in different ways. In DCM a portion of the myocardium is dilated, often without any obvious cause. Left or right ventricular systolic pump function of the heart is impaired, leading to progressive cardiac enlargement and hypertrophy.

About 1 in 3 cases of congestive heart failure (CHF) is due to dilated cardiomyopathy. DCM doesn’t necessarily cause symptoms, but for some people the disease is life-threatening. DCM is a common cause of heart failure, the inability of the heart to supply the body’s tissue and organs with enough blood. DCM may also cause irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia), blood clots or sudden death.

Patients with DCM typically present with symptoms of congestive heart failure, including limitations in physical activity and shortness of breath. DCM generally occurs in patients who have ischemic heart failure due to multiple heart attacks, though it can also be found in patients with non-ischemic heart failure caused by hypertension, viral infection, metabolic abnormalities and other causes.

Patient prognosis depends on the stage of the disease but is typically characterized by a high mortality rate. Other than heart transplantation, there are currently no curative treatment options for end-stage patients with this disease. The New England Journal of Medicine estimates that in the US alone 120,000 people currently suffer; other sources estimate that the patient population with DCM may be as high as 150,000.

The US Phase 2 IMPACT-DCM clinical trial (surgical delivery for treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy) has enrolled 40 patients at 5 sites.  Aastrom Biosciences (ASTM) had announced approval by the FDA to initiate a 2nd randomized, controlled, prospective, open-label, Phase 2 clinical trial investigating the delivery of tissue repair cells via catheter injection for the treatment of DCM. The IMPACT-DCM trial interim results are expected in Q/4 time frame.