Volume 3 Issue 11, November 2006

There are few available data on the incidence and risk factors of thromboembolism in heart failure, and the decision to recommend anticoagulant therapy for these patients is complex. In this Viewpoint, Drs Freudenberger and Halperin discuss the limited existing data on prophylactic approaches to this problem and appeal to physicians to support well-designed, randomized clinical trials of antithrombotic therapy in patients with heart failure.

Gestational glycemic disorders and hypertension in previously healthy women are thought to have a notable bearing on women's cardiovascular risk in later life. In this Review, Banerjee and Cruickshank discuss the opportunities for identification and prevention of early cardiovascular disease in women afforded by these disorders arising.

Claudication is a disabling complication of peripheral arterial disease. Therapy aims to minimize the risk of related cardiovascular events and to improve patients' walking ability by limiting the claudication symptoms. Judith Regensteiner and Kerry Stewart present information on the pharmacological and exercise therapy options currently available.

Outcomes after repair of tetralogy of Fallot have been remarkably improved and short-term survival is now excellent. As patients live longer, however, late complication rates and the need for reoperation are rising. In this Review, the major complications of this heterogeneous condition are outlined and the surgical options for management discussed.

Enhanced external counterpulsation, a noninvasive treatment that involves the sequential inflation of three sets of lower-extremity cuffs during diastole, can reduce the severity and frequency of angina pectoris. Here, Michaels et al. review the experience from the International EECP Patient Registries to evaluate the therapy's safety and efficacy, and provide a practical guide to the selection of patients and application of enhanced external counterpulsation.