Thoracic Key

Unstable Angina/Non-ST-Elevation MI Stanley Chetcuti Eric R. Bates Unstable angina (UA) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) form part of the spectrum of acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) that includes acute…

Secondary Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease Claire Duvernoy Melvyn Rubenfire INTRODUCTION The secondary prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD) can be defined as a long-term management strategy for patients who…

Primary Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease Melvyn Rubenfire Eric R. Bates The advances in the detection and management of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) since the 1960s have resulted in a highly…

Approach to Claudication James B. Froehlich Sanjay Rajagopalan Thomas W. Wakefield PREVALENCE Lower extremity atherosclerotic peripheral artery disease (PAD) is commonly encountered in clinical practice. Although prevalence figures vary widely,…

Syncope Ragavendra R. Baliga Michael H. Lehmann DEFINITION Syncope (from the Greek Syn with koptein, meaning to cut off) is the sudden, transient loss of consciousness and postural tone with…

Edema Peter V. Vaitkevicius Ragavendra R. Baliga DEFINITIONS Edema is an increase in the interstitial fluid volume and is typically first noted in the lower extremities. Often more than 4…

Palpitations Michael H. Lehmann DEFINITIONS Palpitations refers to a subjective awareness of one’s heartbeat, often with the perception of some type of heart-rhythm irregularity, acceleration, or both. Patients use a…

Dyspnea Fernando J. Martinez MeiLan K. Han Keith D. Aaronson DEFINITION Dyspnea has been variously described as the sensation of breathlessness or of difficult or uncomfortable breathing. One consensus statement…

Chest Pain A. David Goldberg Thippeswamy H. Murthy Peter G. Hagan DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF PROBLEM Chest pain can be broadly defined as any discomfort in the anterior thorax occurring…