Limited data exist regarding the real-world practices and clinical outcomes in patients with ischemic heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEFs).Using nationwide registry data from South Korea, we aimed to investigate long-term outcomes and clinical practices, especially implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) implantation, in patients with reduced LVEFs at least 40 days after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Of 13,056 patients with AMI between 2011 and 2015, we analyzed 350 (median age, 66 years [interquartile range, 56-75]) who had LVEFs <40% on follow-up transthoracic echocardiogram 40 days after the index event. The primary outcome was cardiac-cause mortality at 3 years. Secondary outcomes comprised major cardiovascular events as well as outcomes defined by the use of ICDs, cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds), and electrophysiology studies. Among 350 patients, 39 (11.1%) died from cardiac causes during 3 years of follow-up. Eleven (3.1%) were hospitalized for ventricular tachycardia. The rate of ICD or CRT-D implantation up to 3 years was 5.7% (20/350). Cox time-to-event analysis revealed older age, LVEF <30%, diabetes mellitus, and previous MI or revascularization as positively associated with cardiac death, whereas the use of statins and body weight <67 kg were negatively associated. This nationwide Korean registry demonstrated that only 5.7% of patients who had reduced LVEFs after 40 days of AMI underwent ICD implantations over 3 years. Considering the high mortality, concerted efforts are needed to improve clinical outcomes for patients who may have been candidates for ICD implantation.

The clinical concept of coronary artery disease (CAD) has seen a paradigm shift over the last decade. CAD is mostly a progressive disease, and patients with CAD can develop acute coronary syndromes at any point in disease progression. In this clinical context, a new term, “chronic coronary syndrome,” was published in the 2019 European Society of Cardiology guidelines, reflecting the importance of early diagnosis and active management. Recent advances have been made in the evaluation of CAD using coronary CT angiography (CCTA). The clinical usefulness of CCTA in patients with stable angina or chronic coronary syndrome begins with the detection of early asymptomatic CAD. The characterization of atherosclerotic plaque and its role in determining treatment strategies for CAD have been demonstrated for all stages of the disease.This review describes the pathophysiology of stable angina to aid in the understanding of the clinical applications of CCTA.