The CREATE Method for Expressing Continuous Outcome Data in Absolute Terms for Use in Patient Treatment Decision Aids: A Validation Study.

Background: Patient decision aids (PtDAs) supplement advice from health care professionals by communicating the absolute risk or benefit of treatment options (i.e., X/100).

Development of a patient decision aid for people with refractory angina: protocol for a three-phase pilot study.

Background: Refractory angina is a severe chronic disease, defined as angina which cannot be controlled by usual treatments for heart disease. This disease is frightening, debilitating, and difficult to manage. Many people suffering refractory have inadequate pain relief, continually revisit emergency departments for help, undergo repeated cardiac investigations, and struggle with obtaining appropriate care.

Spinal cord stimulation therapy for patients with refractory angina who are not candidates for revascularization.

Objectives:   The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for refractory angina.

Materials And Methods:   This multicenter, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial evaluated SCS in two patient groups: high stimulation (HS) (treatment) and low stimulation (LS) (control). The HS group controlled SCS with a programmer for a minimum of two hours four times daily.

Management of patients with refractory angina: Canadian Cardiovascular Society/Canadian Pain Society joint guidelines.

Refractory angina (RFA) is a debilitating disease characterized by cardiac pain resistant to conventional treatments for coronary artery disease including nitrates, calcium-channel and β-adrenoceptor blockade, vasculoprotective agents, percutaneous coronary interventions, and coronary artery bypass grafting. The mortality rate of patients living with RFA is not known but is thought to be in the range of approximately 3%. These individuals suffer severely impaired health-related quality of life with recurrent and sustained pain, poor general health status, psychological distress, impaired role functioning, and activity restriction.

Treatment of inoperable coronary disease and refractory angina: spinal stimulators, epidurals, gene therapy, transmyocardial laser, and counterpulsation.

Intractable angina from refractory coronary disease is a severe form of myocardial ischemia for which revascularization provides no prognostic benefit. Inoperable coronary disease is also accompanied by a "vicious cycle" of myocardial dystrophy from a chronic alteration of the cardiac sympathetic tone and sensitization of damaged cardiac tissues. Several adjunctive treatments have demonstrated efficacy when revascularization is either unsuccessful or contraindicated.