This Focus Issue on ischaemic heart disease contains the ‘2020 ESC Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation: The Task Force for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)’, supplied by the ESC Scientific Document Group.

In surveys among patients with myocardial infarction (MI), the proportion of those with non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) increased from a third in 1995 to more than half in 2015, mainly accounted for by a refinement in its operational diagnosis.

The use of early angiography increased from 9% in 1995 to 60% in 2015, while the utilization of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) during the initial hospital stay increased from 12.5% to 67%.

These changes were associated with a reduction in 6-month mortality from 17.2% to 6.3%.

The publication of previous Guidelines and their positive impact on daily clinical practice probably played a key role in promoting these remarkable improvements.

These new Guidelines build on this extraordinary trajectory of success.

Read More