Table 1 Patient inclusion and exclusion criteria for the CAST-HF trial

• Male or female patients above 21 years and under 90 years of age

undergoing primary coronary artery bypass grafting

• Patients must present with reduced left-ventricular function defined as LVEF ≤ 40%

• Patients must present with regional left-ventricular-wall-motion abnormalities

• Patients have to give written informed consent to participate in the study

• Significant concomitant aortic valve disease in need of surgical

treatment (except significant aortic valve disease not detected in preoperative cardiac ultrasound that is detected intra-operatively)

• Serious radiographic contrast allergy

• Patients in cardiogenic shock

• Patients with contraindication for cardiac MRI

• History of significant ventricular arrhythmias, except arrhythmias

associated with MI

• Present co-morbidity which reduces life expectancy to less than 1

year

• Presence of a ventricular thrombus

• Presence of a cardiac tumor

• Pregnancy