New insights in preventive cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation

Purpose of review To summarize changing paradigms and perceptions in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Recent findings Recent studies have shown that arterial inflammation probably plays a key role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, that acute myocardial infarctions often evolve from mild-to-moderate coronary artery stenoses, that patients who experience a fatal coronary event invariably had antecedent exposure to one or more major coronary risk factors, that angiographic findings may vastly underestimate underlying atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, and that many elective coronary revascularization procedures may be unnecessary. Moreover, cardiorespiratory fitness appears to be one of the strongest prognostic markers in persons with and without heart disease. Summary Collectively, these data highlight the value of comprehensive risk factor modification in the prevention of initial and recurrent cardiovascular events.