Refractory angina presents a major clinical challenge for everyday medical practice. Despite the widespread use of statins and improvements in revascularization techniques, a substantial proportion of patients with preserved left ventricular function and no life-threatening arrhythmias remain symptomatic, with severe debilitating angina. Because the rate of major cardiac events in this populati...

The combination of an aging population and improved survival rates among patients with coronary artery disease has resulted in increase the number refractory angina or anginal equivalent symptoms despite maximal medical therapy. Patients are often referred to cardiac catheterization laboratory; however, they have exhausted conventional revascularization options; thus, this is deemed as having “...

As a result of the improvements in both pharmacologic and revascularization therapies life expectancy for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) has greatly increased. This means that patients with more extensive CAD are now living longer, so many of them will develop myocardial ischemia and clinical angina that are not amenable to traditional revascularization therapy [1–4]. Patients with...

Refractory angina pectoris is defined as angina refractory to optimal medical treatment and standard coronary revascularization procedures. Despite recent therapeutic advances, patients with refractory angina pectoris are not adequately treated. Spinal cord stimulation is a minimally invasive and reversible technique which utilizes electrical neuromodulation by means of an electrode implanted i...

    Abstract   Despite sophisticated conventional medical treatment and the continued development   and improvement of coronary revascularization modalities in recent years, a significant   number of patients still suffer from refractory angina pectoris and cannot be successfully   managed. Advances in therapeutic options have led to an increase in the average of life   expectancy even in such ...

BACKGROUND Angina that is refractory to conventional medical therapy and revascularisation, remains challenging to manage and poses significant burden to patients. Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] has emerged as an important independent cardiovascular risk factor and predictor of adverse outcomes in atherosclerotic disease. The prevalence of raised Lp(a) amongst patients with refractory angina h...

Despite the wealth of treatments available for the management of angina pectoris, a significant proportion of patients remain refractory. These patients seem to be survivors, so that an individual with refractory angina may suVer with it for many years; consequently patients with refractory angina pectoris usually require multiple admissions, often to expensive cardiac units. Recently transmyoc...

Patients with refractory angina often suffer from erectile dysfunction. Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) decreases symptoms of angina, and increases nitric oxide release. This study evaluated the effect of EECP on sexual function in men with severe angina. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) was used to assess erectile function of severe angina patients enroled in the I...