Conditions and Treatments

Heart conditions

An anatomical heart model and a stethoscope on a consulting desk

Coronary artery disease

Symptoms, causes, tests and treatment, and when to call 000.

A GTN spray, reading glasses and a glass of water on a bedside table

Angina with normal arteries

Chest pain when the main arteries look clear: coronary spasm and small-vessel angina.

A weekly pill organiser and a glass of water on a kitchen bench

After a heart attack

Medicines, cardiac rehabilitation, driving, work and mood in the months that follow.

Walking shoes and a water bottle on a verandah step

Living well with heart disease

Exercise, eating, medicines, rehabilitation and mental health.

A handheld ECG recorder and a smartwatch on a desk

Atrial fibrillation (AF)

Symptoms, stroke prevention, rate and rhythm control.

Chest pain: when to worry

Which symptoms need 000, the emergency department or a GP visit.

Heart scans and tests

CT images of the heart on two reporting monitors

Reading your CT coronary angiogram report

CAD-RADS grades, plaque and what usually happens next.

Coronary calcium score

What your score means and how it changes treatment in Australia.

Procedures and treatment

Coiled catheters on a sterile catheter laboratory trolley

Angiograms and stents explained

How angiograms and stents work, and when they are used.

A recovery chair and monitor in a day-procedure bay

Your angiogram or stent: what to expect

Preparing, the day itself, recovery and warning signs.

A balloon inflation device on a sterile tray

How modern angioplasty has changed

Imaging inside the artery, pressure-wire tests, drug-coated balloons and calcium treatment.

Coronary angiogram showing the left anterior descending artery completely blocked at its start

Chronic total occlusion (CTO) PCI

What a fully blocked artery means, and when reopening it can help.

An empty cardiac surgery operating theatre

PCI or bypass surgery

How the choice between stents and surgery is made.

An imaging disc on a folder of medical reports

Second opinions

An independent review of complex coronary disease.

Cholesterol and prevention

Blood collection tubes in a rack beside a laboratory centrifuge

High cholesterol explained

LDL, Lp(a), your 5-year risk and how it is treated.

A blister pack of tablets on a bathroom shelf

Statins explained

Who benefits, side effects and the alternatives.

Fresh vegetables and dried legumes at a market stall

Lowering cholesterol without medication

What diet, exercise and weight loss can do.

A road bicycle leaning against a wall at sunrise

Heart attacks in healthy people

Risk factors that may not show up in a standard check.

Fresh whole fish on ice with lemon halves

Heart-healthy eating

What to eat to lower your risk of heart disease.

More help

Patient resources: independent reading on eating well, procedures and recovery, and Australian helplines.