cardiovascular disorders
Angina Pectoris
Treatment of Angina Pectoris
Modification of risk factors (smoking, blood pressure, lipids) Antiplatelet drugs (aspirinand sometimesclopidogrel,prasugrel, orticagrelor) Beta-blockers Nitroglycerinand calcium channel blockers for symptom control Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and statins Revascularization if symptoms persist despite medical therapy Treatment as much as possible. Smokers should stop smoking; The main goals of angina treatment are to Relieve acute symptoms Prevent or reduce ischemia Prevent future ischemic events (See also table Drugs for Coronary Artery Disease* .) To relieve symptomsduring an acute attack, sublingualnitroglycerinis the most effective drug. Nitroglycerinis a potent smooth-muscle relaxant and vasodilator. Its main sites of action are in the peripheral vascular tree, especially in the venous or capacitance system, and in coronary blood vessels. Even severely atherosclerotic vessels may dilate in areas without atheroma.Nitroglycerinlowers systolic BP and dilates systemic veins, thus reducing myocardial wall tension, a major determinant of myocardial oxygen need. Sublingualnitroglycerinis given for an acute attack or for prevention before exertion. Dramatic relief usually occurs within 1.5 to 3 minutes, is complete by about 5 minutes, and lasts up to 30 minutes. The dose may be repeated every 4 to 5 minutes up to 3 times if relief is incomplete. Patients should always carrynitroglycerintablets or aerosol spray to use promptly at the onset of an angina attack. Patients should store tablets in a tightly sealed, light-resistant glass container, so that potency is not lost. Because the drug deteriorates quickly, small amounts should be obtained frequently. To prevent ischemia,several classes of drugs are used: Antiplatelet drugs: All patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease or at high risk of developing CAD Beta-blockers: Most patients, unless contraindicated or not tolerated Long-acting nitrates: If needed Calcium channel blockers: If needed Antiplatelet drugsinhibit platelet aggregation.Aspirinbinds irreversibly to platelets and inhibits cyclooxygenase and platelet aggregation. Other antiplatelet drugs (eg,clopidogrel,prasugrel, andticagrelor) blockadenosinediphosphate–induced platelet aggregation. These drugs can reduce risk of ischemic events (MI, sudden death), but the drugs are most effective when given withaspirin. Patients unable to tolerate one should receive the other drug alone. Beta-blockerslimit symptoms and prevent infarction and sudden death better than other drugs. Beta-blockers block sympathetic stimulation of the heart and reduce systolic BP, heart rate, contractility, and cardiac output, thus decreasing myocardial oxygen demand and increasing exercise tolerance. Beta-blockers also increase the threshold for ventricular fibrillation. Most patients tolerate these drugs well. Many beta-blockers are available and effective. Dose is titrated upward as needed until limited by bradycardia or adverse effects. Patients who cannot tolerate beta-blockers are given a calcium channel blocker with negative chronotropic effects (eg,diltiazem,verapamil). Those at risk of beta-blocker intolerance (eg, those with asthma) may be tried on a cardioselective beta-blocker (eg,bisoprolol) perhaps with pulmonary function testing before and after drug administration to detect drug-induced bronchospasm. Long-acting nitrates(oral or transdermal) are used if symptoms persist after the beta-blocker dose is maximized. If angina occurs at predictable times, a nitrate is given to cover those times. Oral nitrates includeisosorbide dinitrateand mononitrate (the active metabolite of the dinitrate). They are effective within 1 to 2 hours; their effect lasts 4 to 6 hours. Sustained-release formulations ofisosorbide mononitrateappear to be effective throughout the day. For transdermal use, cutaneousnitroglycerinpatches have largely replacednitroglycerinointments primarily because ointments are inconvenient and messy. Patches slowly release the drug for a prolonged effect; exercise capacity improves 4 hours after patch application and wanes in 18 to 24 hours. Nitrate tolerance may occur, especially when plasma concentrations are kept constant. Because risk of myocardial infarction is highest in early morning, an afternoon or early evening respite period from nitrates is reasonable unless a patient commonly has angina at that time. Fornitroglycerin, an 8- to 10-hour respite period seems sufficient. Isosorbide may require a 12-hour respite period. If given once a day, sustained-releaseisosorbide mononitratedoes not appear to elicit tolerance. may be used if symptoms persist despite use of nitrates or if nitrates are not tolerated. Calcium channel blockers are particularly useful if Hypertension or Ranolazineis asodium channel blockerthat can be used to treat chronic angina. Becauseranolazinemay also prolong QTc, it is usually reserved for patients in whom symptoms persist despite optimal treatment with other antianginal drugs. Dizziness, headache, constipation, and nausea are the most common adverse effects. Ivabradineis asinus node inhibitorthat inhibits inward sodium/potassium current in a certain gated channel (funny or "f" channel) in sinus node cells, thus slowing heart rate without decreasing contractility. It can be used for symptomatic treatment of chronic stable angina pectoris in patients with normal sinus rhythm who cannot take beta-blockers or in combination with beta-blockers in patients inadequately controlled by beta-blocker alone and whose heart rate is > 60 beats/minute Revascularization for Acute Coronary Syndromes , either with PCIis usually preferred for 1- or 2-vessel disease with suitable anatomic lesions and is increasingly being used for 3-vessel disease. Lesions that are long or near bifurcation points are often not amenable to PCI. However, as stent technology improves, PCI is being used for more complicated cases. CABGis very effective in selected patients with angina. CABG is superior to PCI in patients with diabetes and in patients with multivessel disease amenable to grafting. The ideal candidate has severe angina pectoris and localized disease, or diabetes mellitus. About 85% of patients have complete or dramatic symptom relief. Exercise stress testing shows positive correlation between graft patency and improved exercise tolerance, but exercise tolerance sometimes remains improved despite graft closure. CABG improves survival for patients with left main disease, those with 3-vessel disease and poor left ventricular function, and some patients with 2-vessel disease. However, for patients with mild or moderate angina (CCS class 1 or 2) or 3-vessel disease and good ventricular function, CABG appears to only marginally improve survival. PCI is increasingly being used for unprotected left main stenosis (ie, no left anterior descending or circumflex graft present), with outcomes at one year that are similar to CABG. Several studies show better long term outcomes following CABG than with PCI for patients with diabetes and proximal left anterior descending disease. For patients with 1-vessel disease, outcomes with drug therapy, PCI, and CABG are similar; exceptions are left main disease and proximal left anterior descending disease, for which revascularization appears advantageous. 1.Lawton JS, Tamis-Holland JE, Bangalore S, et al: 2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI guideline for coronary artery revascularization: a report of the ACC/AHA Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.J Am Coll Cardiol79(2):e21–e129, 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2021.09.006 