It is well known that non-cardiac chest pain is closely related to gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERD). Chest pain of esophageal origin can be difficult to distinguish from that caused by cardiac ischemia because the distal esophagus and the heart share a common afferent vagal supply, and GERD can cause episodes of non-cardiac chest pain that resemble ischemic cardiac pain.

Results from a late-breaking clinical trial, presented at the 2008 Canadian Cardiology Congress (CCC) in Toronto, show for the first time that combining the pure heart rate reduction medication ivabradine to current treatments of patients with stable angina improves their exercise capacity.

Patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) receiving early invasive treatment including angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have comparable results at 1 year in terms of mortality and ischemic outcomes no matter which of three different anticoagulant regimens they are on, according to a study in the December 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Two new studies led by researchers at the University of Iowa and the Department of Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System provide reassuring findings for patients evaluated in the emergency room for possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and the physicians who treat them.

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have jointly released revised Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Unstable Angina (UA)/Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI).

Chest pain due to a shortage of blood in the heart, known as angina, is a condition that affects millions of Americans. The most recently approved new pharmaceutical approach to treat chronic angina is a novel drug called ranolazine, which was approved in 2006 for use as second line therapy in patients who continue to experience angina despite treatment with another class of anti-anginal medication.