2007, Volume 14, Issue 04, pages 181-244

Clinicians find heart failure difficult to diagnose. Confirmation of left ventricular dysfunction (systolic or diastolic) is only possible by cardiac imaging. Recent European Society of...

Managing patients with the various manifestations of coronary heart disease keeps cardiologists busy, whether in out-patients, the cardiac catheter lab or the coronary care unit....

Huge changes are underway within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). A far-reaching programme of marketing-orientated changes has resulted in “the emergence of a new...

Atherothrombosis is the underlying pathology for most ischaemic events, including myocardial infarction, many forms of stroke, peripheral arterial insufficiency, and cardiovascular death, together with sudden...

Patients are waiting too long for echocardiography. A British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) survey shows that 62% of patients are waiting longer than four weeks...

New data gathered via a survey undertaken on behalf of the British Cardiac Patients Association (BCPA) confirm not only that angina itself has an adverse...

ADVANCE – lowering blood pressure reduces events in diabetes Death rates with drug-eluting stents worse in STEMI patients Women with ACS do worse with PCI EUROASPIRE: lifestyle issues...

Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University hosted the 21st Annual Medical & Scientific Meeting and the Patients’ Workshop of H.E.A.R.T UK this summer. The theme was looking back...

Heart disease in women was the theme for the SHARP (Scottish Heart and Arterial Risk Prevention Group) Spring Symposium held earlier this year in Dunkeld,...

Atherothrombosis is a leading cause of global mortality. It represents a significant public health issue in the UK and, as such, the UK Government has...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and in February 2006 was added to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)...

Over the last few years, there has been a gradual increase in the use of intensive statin therapy, ostensibly atorvastatin 80 mg for high-risk individuals,...

Stent thrombosis (ST) is an uncommon but serious complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and is associated with the discontinuation of antiplatlet therapy. In a...

The demand for non-invasive diagnostic imaging in cardiology increases with the advancing age of the population. Whilst exercise testing and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy have provided...

Rhabdomyolysis is an uncommon but potentially serious adverse reaction associated with the use of statins. Simvastatin is metabolised by cytochrome P450 CYP3A4 and amiodarone is...

Chaucer's characters in The Canterbury Tales meet on their journey to the shrine of Thomas à Becket. They are on a pilgrimage, a special kind...

There is an enormous gap between the publication of new evidence and its clinical implementations. Research on interventions that are designed to change professionals’ clinical...

The aims of treatment in chronic heart failure are to reduce symptoms, improve function and prolong life. Currently there is no patient-centred health-related quality of...