In medicine, decompensation is the functional deterioration of a structure or system that had been previously working with the help of compensation.
Decompensation may occur due to fatigue, stress, illness, or old age.
It is a general term commonly used in medicine to describe a variety of situations.
For example, cardiac decompensation may refer to the failure of the heart to maintain adequate blood circulation, after long-standing (previously compensated) vascular disease (see heart failure).
Short-term treatment of cardiac decompensation can be achieved through administration of dobutamine, resulting in an increase in heart contractility via an inotropic effect.