Coronary Artery Disease

Patient brochures and fact sheets for health care providers explain the USPSTF recommendations for several cardiovascular diseases.

The most effective antiarrhythmic medication, amiodarone, lowers sudden cardiac deaths by 13-19 percent. Implantable cardiac defibrillators, when combined with alternative therapy (usually amiodarone), reduced deaths by 24 percent.

Improved health and life expectancy for people with heart disease ranks among the major achievements of modern medicine. The death rate from coronary artery disease-the major cause of heart attack-declined 29 percent from 1985 to 1995. Nevertheless, nearly 14 million Americans are affected with this disease and one dies about every minute from a coronary event.