Patient Education and Guides
Patient Education and Guides
Browse All Patient Guides
Patient guides written and reviewed by Rias Ali, MD, FACC. Each one opens as a web page that reads well on a phone, and each has a printable PDF.
Browse the full libraryCoronary Artery Disease & Chest Pain22
The heart's own arteries — blockages, plaque, and chest-pain conditions.
- Chest Pain
- Cardiac Warning Signs — When to Call 911
- Heart Attack / Acute Coronary Syndrome
- Recovery After a Heart Attack
- Return to Activity After a Cardiac Event
- Recovery After Bypass Surgery (CABG)
- Recovery After Stent (PCI)
- Stable Angina
- Silent Ischemia
- Nitrates (Nitroglycerin)
- Ranolazine (Ranexa)
- Angioplasty & Stents
- Antiplatelet Therapy & DAPT
- Clopidogrel vs Ticagrelor
Coronary Artery Disease & Plaque
Non-Obstructive & Functional Coronary Conditions
Cholesterol, Heart Plaque & Disease Management — Preventing Progression & Reducing Risk52
Lipids, plaque, and everything that slows or reverses cardiovascular risk.
Cholesterol & Lipid Disorders
- Understanding Cholesterol
- Triglycerides
- Lipoprotein(a)
- ApoB and Advanced Lipid Testing
- Familial Hypercholesterolemia
- Genetic Testing for Heart Conditions
- Genetic Testing for Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)
- CardioNavigATTR Sponsored Genetic Testing
- Genetic Testing for Inherited Heart Conditions
Cholesterol-Lowering Medications
- Statin Therapy
- Statin Myths and Safety
- Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms (SAMS)
- Statin Intolerance and Alternatives
- Ezetimibe (Zetia)
- PCSK9 Inhibitors
- Lipfendra (Enlicitide)
- Bempedoic Acid (Nexletol)
- Inclisiran (Leqvio)
- Icosapent Ethyl (Vascepa)
Heart Risk Accelerators
- Smoking and the Heart
- Alcohol and Heart Health
- Stimulant Medications and Your Heart
- GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs and Your Heart
- Menopause and Heart Health
- Living With AFib — Triggers and Lifestyle
- Living With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Stress, Mental Health, and Your Heart
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- Diabetes & the Heart
- Obesity & Heart Health
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Cardio-Oncology
- Fatigue and Your Heart
- Heart and Kidney Disease (Cardiorenal)
- Heart Disease in Women
- Heart Health in Older Adults
Prevention & Cardiac Recovery
- Exercise and Your Heart
- Aspirin for Prevention
- Supplements and Your Heart
- Dental Care and Your Heart
- Statin Myths and Safety
- Athlete's Heart and Sports Cardiology
- Taking Your Heart Medicines
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Sex and Heart Disease
- Heart Disease and Travel
- Heart-Healthy Eating
- Salt, Sodium, and Your Heart
- Vaccinations and Your Heart
- Know Your Heart Numbers
- Preparing for Your Cardiology Visit
- Home AED
Blood Pressure & Hypertension14
High and low blood pressure and how it is measured and managed.
- Hypertension
- Isolated Systolic Hypertension
- Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH)
- Resistant Hypertension
- Baxfendy (Baxdrostat)
- Calcium Channel Blockers
- Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- Supine Hypertension with Orthostatic Hypotension
- Secondary Hypertension
- Renal Artery Stenosis
- Hypertensive Emergencies
- Renal Denervation
Heart Failure27
When the heart muscle cannot pump or fill as well as it should.
- Cardiac Amyloidosis
- Cardiogenic Shock
- Shortness of Breath and Your Heart
- Leg Swelling and Ankle Edema
- Nighttime Breathlessness (Orthopnea and PND)
Heart Failure Medications
- ARNI (Entresto)
- SGLT2 Inhibitors
- Ivabradine (Corlanor)
- Beta-Blockers
- ACE Inhibitors & ARBs
- Diuretics (Water Pills)
- KERENDIA (Finerenone)
- MRAs: Spironolactone and Eplerenone
- VERQUVO (Vericiguat)
- TZDs & Heart Failure (Pioglitazone)
- Mavacamten (Camzyos)
- Tafamidis (Vyndaqel)
Types of Heart Failure
- HFrEF (Reduced Ejection Fraction)
- Heart Failure Self-Care and Action Plan
- Understanding Your Ejection Fraction (EF)
- Left Ventricular Dysfunction
- HFpEF (Preserved Ejection Fraction)
- Diastolic Dysfunction
- Advanced Heart Failure
- CardioMEMS Heart Failure Sensor
- LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device)
- Heart Transplant
Heart Rhythm (Arrhythmias) & Devices46
Irregular heartbeats and the implanted devices that treat them.
Heart Rhythm Conditions
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Living With AFib — Triggers and Lifestyle
- Atrial Flutter
- Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
- Atrial Tachycardia
- Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia
- Ventricular Tachycardia & Fibrillation
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC)
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest
- Bradycardia & Heart Block
- Chronotropic Incompetence
- Sick Sinus Syndrome
- Heart Block (AV Block)
- Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB)
- Right Bundle Branch Block (RBBB)
- PVCs & Palpitations
- PVC-Induced Cardiomyopathy
- Cardioversion
- Palpitations — Workup and When to Worry
- Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome
- Long QT Syndrome
- Brugada Syndrome
Heart Rhythm Medications
- Dofetilide (Tikosyn)
- Sotalol (Betapace)
- Flecainide and Propafenone
- Amiodarone
- Digoxin
- Starting an Antiarrhythmic Medicine
Implanted Cardiac Devices
- Pacemakers & ICDs
- Living With a Pacemaker or ICD
- Driving After Heart Events and Devices
- MRI Safety with a Pacemaker or ICD
- ICD & CRT-D
- Wearable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (WCD)
- Watchman (LAA Closure)
- Leadless Pacemaker
- Subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD)
- Implantable Loop Recorder (ILR)
- Lead Extraction
- Home AED
Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation
Heart Valves & Structural Conditions30
The heart's valves and the walls and holes inside it.
Aortic Valve
Mitral Valve
- Mitral Regurgitation
- Mitral Stenosis
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Rheumatic Heart Disease
- Recovery After Mitral Valve Repair
Septal & Structural Conditions
- Atrial Septal Aneurysm (IAS/ASA)
- Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)
- PFO and Pregnancy
- Atrial Septal Defect
- Ventricular Septal Defect
Tricuspid Valve
Valve & Structural Procedures
- TAVR
- Living with a Prosthetic Heart Valve
- Bioprosthetic Valve Degeneration
- Watchman (LAA Closure)
- MitraClip / TEER
- Surgical Valve Replacement
- PFO / ASD Closure
- Paravalvular Leak
- Alcohol Septal Ablation
- Septal Myectomy
- Mechanical Heart Valves
- Bioprosthetic (Tissue) Heart Valves
- Recovery After Heart Valve Surgery
- Recovery After TAVR
Valve Infection
Heart Muscle & Pericardium30
Diseases of the heart muscle itself and of the sac around it.
Cardiomyopathies (Heart-Muscle Disease)
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH)
- Living With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Genetic Testing for Inherited Heart Conditions
- Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy
- Cardiac Amyloidosis
- CardioNavigATTR Sponsored Genetic Testing
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy
- LV Non-Compaction
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC)
- Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
- PVC-Induced Cardiomyopathy
- LVOT Obstruction
- Myocarditis
- Cardiac Sarcoidosis
- Peripartum Cardiomyopathy
- Pregnancy and Heart Disease
- PFO and Pregnancy
- Postpartum Heart Care and Contraception
- Preeclampsia and Your Future Heart Health
- Alcohol Septal Ablation
- Septal Myectomy
Pericardial Conditions
- Pericarditis
- Colchicine
- Pericardial Effusion
- Cardiac Tamponade
- Pericardiocentesis
- Constrictive Pericarditis
Special Populations
Vascular & Venous Disease25
The veins and arteries beyond the heart — including blood clots.
- Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
- Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
- Carotid Artery Disease
- Aortic Aneurysm
- Coarctation of the Aorta
- Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD)
- Renal Artery Stenosis
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Claudication and Leg Pain with Walking
- Peripheral Artery Intervention (Angioplasty, Stent, Atherectomy)
- Aortic Dissection
- Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
Blood Thinners (Anticoagulation)
Chronic Venous Disease
- Venous Insufficiency (Venous Reflux)
- May-Thurner Syndrome (Iliac Vein Compression)
- Varicose Veins
- Superficial Thrombophlebitis
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)
Fainting, Dizziness & Autonomic Conditions12
Fainting, lightheadedness, and disorders of automatic circulation control.
- Dysautonomia
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- Supine Hypertension with Orthostatic Hypotension
- Midodrine
- Syncope (Fainting)
- Driving After Heart Events and Devices
- Cardiac Warning Signs — When to Call 911
- Syncope Workup and Testing
- Tilt Table Test
- POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
- Vasovagal Syncope
- Dizziness and Lightheadedness
Heart Tests, Procedures & Rehabilitation50
How heart conditions are diagnosed, treated in the lab, and recovered from.
Cardiac Catheterization & Cath-Lab
- Cardiac Catheterization
- Right Heart Catheterization
- Coronary Angiogram
- Contrast Dye and Your Kidneys
- Radial Artery Occlusion
- Angioplasty & Stents
- EP Study & Ablation
- Recovery After Catheter Ablation
- Cardioversion
- FFR & iFR
- IVUS & OCT
- Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO)
Cardiac Rehabilitation & Recovery
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: The Complete Guidebook
- Recovery After Bypass Surgery (CABG)
- Recovery After Stent (PCI)
- Recovery After Heart Valve Surgery
- Recovery After TAVR
- Recovery After Mitral Valve Repair
Imaging & Diagnostic Tests
- Coronary CTA
- Cardiac MRI (CMR)
- Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)
- Chest Pain
- Echocardiogram
- Stress Testing
- Chronotropic Incompetence
- Abnormal Stress Test Result
- Nuclear Stress Test & Cardiac PET
- Understanding Your Heart Risk Score
- Coronary Calcium Score
- Holter & Event Monitors
- Holter and Patch Monitors
- Understanding Your ECG
- Abnormal EKG Result
- High Troponin Result
- High BNP or NT-proBNP Result
- D-Dimer Blood Test
- BNP & NT-proBNP Blood Test
- High-Sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) Test
- Abnormal Echocardiogram Findings
- Atrial Enlargement (LA/RA Dilation)
- Understanding Your Ejection Fraction (EF)
- A Heart Murmur Found on Exam
- Incidental Heart Finding on a Chest CT
- Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
- Tilt Table Test
- Heart Clearance Before Surgery
Patient Blood Management (Transfusion & Alternatives)
Heart Medications, A-to-Z36
A quick-reference hub — every drug also appears under the condition it treats. The entry point for "I take a pill called ___."
Antiplatelet Medications
Blood Management Medications & Alternatives
Blood Thinners / Anticoagulants
Cardiometabolic & Weight-Loss Medications
Cholesterol Medications
- Statin Therapy
- Statin Myths and Safety
- Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms (SAMS)
- Ezetimibe (Zetia)
- PCSK9 Inhibitors
- Lipfendra (Enlicitide)
- Bempedoic Acid (Nexletol)
- Inclisiran (Leqvio)
- Icosapent Ethyl (Vascepa)
- Genetic Testing for Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)
Heart Failure & Blood-Pressure Medications
- ARNI (Entresto)
- SGLT2 Inhibitors
- Ivabradine (Corlanor)
- Beta-Blockers
- ACE Inhibitors & ARBs
- Diuretics (Water Pills)
- Calcium Channel Blockers
- Baxfendy (Baxdrostat)
- KERENDIA (Finerenone)
- MRAs: Spironolactone and Eplerenone
- VERQUVO (Vericiguat)
- TZDs & Heart Failure (Pioglitazone)