Cardiomyoplasty has recently been used as a surgical treatment for refractory heart failure, but its results have not been well described in quality-of-life patterns. We studied the quality of life of 14 patients (13 men, with a mean age of 43.3 +/- 7.4 years) submitted to this procedure for treatment of dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathies. They were approached by personal, structured interviews before and 13 +/- 9 months after the procedure, focusing on the following areas: physical activity, food and sleep patterns, working status, social activity, sexual activity, psychologic state, and perceptions and expectations about the treatment. The presence of limitation descriptors (discomfort, disability, and dissatisfaction) was recorded for all patients. The results showed an important decrease in limitation of physical activity, sleep pattern, social activity, and perceptions and expectations about the treatment. These findings suggest that cardiomyoplasty may improve the quality of life of a selected group of patients.