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WEBHeart. is an international journal from BMJ and BCS publishing important research and reviews in cardiovascular disease. Heart is an international peer reviewed journal that keeps cardiologists up to date with important research advances in cardiovascular disease. New scientific developments are highlighted in editorials and put in context with ...
Treating patients with ventricular ectopic beats | Heart
WEBVentricular ectopic beats (VEBs) are commonly seen in daily clinical practice. They are largely asymptomatic but can cause upsetting symptoms in some patients. In normal hearts, their occurrence is usually associated with no clinical significance. However, there are occasions where the presence of VEBs signifies a susceptibility towards more sinister arrhythmias, especially when heart disease ...
Bradyarrhythmias in patients with atrial fibrillation | Heart
WEBThe increasing burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) and significant morbidity/mortality associated with this arrhythmia encourage screening it in clinical practice, as recommended in current guidelines. It means opportunistic screening (in patients over 65 years) or systematic screening (in people above 75 years) by using clinical examination, followed by an ECG, 24-hour ECG monitoring or ...
Resting heart rate: what is normal?
WEBResting heart rate (RHR) is a clinical parameter easily measurable with typical value between 50 and 90 beats per minute (bpm) that varies during the day with a night-time decrease.1 RHR can go down to 30 bpm in those with good physical condition, but RHR is also partly genetically determined, with slightly higher values in women than in men.2 The interpretation of RHR by clinicians is ...
Angina: contemporary diagnosis and management - Heart
WEB### Learning objectives Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) remains the leading global cause of death and lost life years in adults, notably in younger (<55 years) women.1 Angina pectoris (derived from the Latin verb ‘angere’ to strangle) is chest discomfort of cardiac origin. It is a common clinical manifestation of IHD with an estimated prevalence of 3%–4% in UK adults. There are over 250 ...
Assessment and management of peripheral arterial disease: what …
WEB### Learning objectives Peripheral artery disease (PAD) typically refers to atherosclerotic narrowing and/or occlusion of all arterial disease other than coronary arteries and the aorta (carotid and vertebral arteries, coeliac and mesenteric arteries, renal arteries and upper and lower limb arteries) (figure 1). As a manifestation of systemic atherosclerosis, PAD is associated with greatly ...
Right heart catheterisation: indications and interpretation
WEB### Learning objectives Significant improvements in the diagnostic power and availability of non-invasive cardiac imaging techniques, in addition to evidence of potential harm associated with pulmonary artery (PA) catheterisation in patients in critical care, have led to a decline in right heart catheterisation (RHC) over recent years.1 RHC, however, remains an important tool in a cardiologist ...
Update on management of atrial fibrillation in heart failure: a focus ...
WEBAtrial fibrillation is increasingly encountered in patients with heart failure. Both diseases have seen tremendous rises in incidence in recent years. In general, the treatment of atrial fibrillation is focused on relieving patients from atrial fibrillation-related symptoms and risk reduction for thromboembolism and the occurrence or worsening of heart failure. Symptomatic relief may be ...
Management of vasospastic angina - Heart
WEBVasospastic angina is a well-established cause of chest pain that is caused by coronary artery spasm. It can be clinically diagnosed during a spontaneous episode by documenting nitrate-responsive rest angina with associated transient ischaemic ECG changes but more often requires provocative coronary spasm testing with acetylcholine during coronary angiography. Vasospastic angina may result in ...
Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor therapy - Heart
WEBPatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at a higher risk of developing heart failure compared with the healthy population. In recent landmark clinical trials, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor therapies improve blood glucose control and also reduce cardiovascular events and heart failure hospitalisations in patients with type 2 diabetes. Intriguingly, such clinical benefits ...