Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death. It may lead to cardiomyopathy in the setting of coronary artery disease and gradually progressing to heart failure. While ischemic cardiomyopathy is a well-recognized disease entity, the current classification systems of cardiomyopathy exclude cardiomyopathies secondary to ischemia. Further, research on ischemic cardiomyopathy is extensively fragmented, which has undermined both research consensus and comprehensive understanding. The fragmentation is attributable to its variable terminologies (ischemic heart disease or its three leading non-fatal sequela -angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction and ischemic heart failure). Therefore, the purpose of the present review is to accumulate research on ischemic cardiomyopathy to produce a comprehensive understanding of its clinical status, diagnosis, clinical management and improve survival.