Cardiologists Consolidate, Update Guidance for Chronic Coronary Disease Management

By Jonathan Springston, Editor, Relias Media

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have consolidated and updated previous work into new guidelines for cardiologists to help them treat patients living with chronic coronary disease (CCD).

“The information in the new CCD document updates and replaces 2012 and 2014 guidelines about stable ischemic heart disease. This current document provides a patient-centered approach to management of CCD, incorporating the principles of shared decision-making, social determinants of health (SDOH), and team-based care,” the authors wrote. “Where applicable and based on availability of cost-effectiveness data, value recommendations are also provided for clinicians.”

The authors spent eight months searching the literature for the latest relevant research. Based on that work, the new guidelines recommend cardiologists counsel patients about eating a healthy diet, losing weight (but not with dangerous medication), exercising more, quitting tobacco (including minimizing exposure to secondhand smoke), lowering lipid and blood pressure levels, addressing mental health struggles, and more.

“Even in the past four to five years, new treatments have made it more manageable than ever if people work with their healthcare professionals and take their medications,” said Salim Virani, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA, FASPC, chairperson of the expert panel that wrote the new guidelines. "It's not a death sentence anymore. You can have a pretty normal life span and good quality of life if you actually follow the recommendations."

For more on this and related subjects, be sure to read the latest issues of Clinical Cardiology Alert. Also, check out Relias Media’s latest cardiology resource book: STEMI Watch 2023: Excellence in Diagnosis and Care.