The ABCs of Acute Coronary Treatment
Reported January 19, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire)
— A recent change to the once complex way of managing acute coronary syndrome may be as easy as learning the ABCs, literally.
In the past, acute coronary syndrome, which is chest pain at rest or mild exertion, was managed by a system doctors considered to be complicated.
Roger S. Blumenthal, M.D., lead investigator for the study, says, “Many doctors think existing guidelines are lengthy and complex and therefore difficult to implement in the clinic and at home by patients.”
This prompted the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association to implement new guidelines to manage ACS. After reviewing peer-reviewed publications, they developed the “ABCDE” approach believed to be more patient friendly.
This new system includes the “A” step for antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulation, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, and angiotensin-receptor blockade; the “B” step for beta-blockade and blood pressure control; the “C” step for cholesterol treatment and cigarette smoking cessation; the “D” step for diabetes management and diet; and the “E” step for exercise.
Less than half of the 1.6 million Americans suffering from acute coronary syndrome were getting the appropriate treatment, because of the complexity of the old management system — which consisted of monitoring and implementing multi-drug and lifestyle treatments.
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 293:349-357