Cardiology

This article describes recent developments in cardiology and cardiovascular disease that are likely to be relevant to primary healthcare professionals and their patients. The following subject areas are covered: Primary prevention: recent developments in pharmaco-logical interventions, drug interactions, and drugs that are likely to cause harm; cardiovascular risk estimation and shared decision making with patients; and new developments in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Secondary prevention: new models of care, including nurse-led care for the provision of hypertension and secondary prevention clinics; new drugs for the treatment of angina and myocardial infarction; ambulatory electrocardiography for the diagnosis of arrhythmias in primary care; and new developments in the treatment of atrial fibrillation - direct thrombin inhibitors and implantable devices. Tertiary prevention: recent developments in cardiac rehabilitation; recent evidence concerning revascularisation procedures and appropriateness criteria for referral; and implantable defibrillators.