Prognosis research in people with coronary heart disease

Abstract

Coronary heart disease (CHD) outcomes have improved in recent decades because of better treatment, improved investigations, and better secondary prevention. The results of prognosis research have contributed to the development and evaluation of these new components of healthcare for CHD, but have also critically questioned traditional classifications of CHD, emphasized the importance of long-term outcomes in judging the success of healthcare in CHD patients, and highlighted the potential of risk stratification to guide better treatment decisions for individual patients with CHD. This chapter uses example studies to illustrate this story.