Coronary Artery Disease (StatPearls)

This is a textbook in miniature — the StatPearls clinical reference on coronary artery disease, soup to nuts. We include it as the foundational overview that situates everything else in this library.

It spans the whole disease: the distinction between stable ischemic heart disease and acute coronary syndrome; the pathophysiology from fatty streak to foam cell to calcified (or rupture-prone) plaque; the modifiable risk factors led by smoking; the full diagnostic ladder (ECG, stress testing, calcium scoring, CT angiography, catheterization); and guideline-directed management for both stable disease and STEMI/NSTEMI. A recurring practical note: atypical presentations — common in women, the elderly, and diabetics — carry a threefold higher mortality, partly from missed diagnosis.

The practical takeaway is comprehensiveness: this is the reference to ground a complete mental model of CAD, from prevention through complications.

We rate the evidence high for its purpose: a peer-reviewed, continuously updated, 55-reference CME resource aligned with ACC/AHA guidelines. Its clinical significance is more educational than novel — it consolidates established knowledge rather than advancing it. (Note: this entry duplicates the “StatPearls CAD, 2024” entry in our library — the same article filed under two short citations; keep one.)