A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether icatibant is effective in the treatment of hereditary angioedema. A total of 168 papers were found using the reported search, of which one represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results, and study weaknesses of this best paper are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is there is promising evidence for the use of the bradykinin receptor antagonist icatibant for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema.