Introduction Despite a 31% decline in the death rate from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) (i.e., coronary heart disease [CHD] or stroke) between 2001 and 2011, ASCVD remains the cause of…
Introduction Great strides have been made in reducing morbidity and mortality from heart disease in recent decades. Despite this, coronary artery disease (CAD) rates remain unacceptably high. CAD is the…
Introduction The relationship between coronary heart disease (CHD) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) has long been recognized, with an initial description by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 15th century of…
Introduction Patients with diabetes mellitus—both type 1 and type 2—exhibit an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) with its sequelae of myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. Compared to…
When noninvasive testing for coronary artery disease (CAD) is inconclusive or suggests significant pathology, invasive testing is necessary. X-ray coronary angiography provides an overview of the coronary circulation and in…
Introduction This chapter is focused on tools for risk assessment in patients with stable coronary heart disease. In general, patients with stable ischemic heart disease have a good prognosis. However,…
The Challenge of Noninvasive Test Selection for Stable Chest Pain The prevalence of angina is high in the general population and increases with age in both sexes, from approximately 3%…
Introduction The Context Medical therapy of stable angina aims to address the key factor mediating myocardial ischemia: oxygen supply/demand imbalance. Pain is not the only symptom that a patient with…
More than 90% of all cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths are thought to be preventable through lifestyle changes. In the INTERHEART study, a case-control study of myocardial infarction (MI) in 52…
Introduction After smoking, obesity is probably the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States and most of the westernized world. The estimated prevalence of obesity is almost…
