The New ESC Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Coronary Syndromes: the Good and the Not So Good

Abstract

During the annual meeting in Paris, the European Society of Cardiology released the new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of chronic coronary syndromes that will replace the 2013 guidelines on stable coronary artery disease. We intend to provide a brief commentary on what, in our opinion, is good and what is not as good. Our careful analysis shows that the 2019 guidelines contain a number of positive innovations, including a new definition, a central role of non-invasive testing for myocardial ischaemia, the most contemporary prevalence of the disease, the fact that medical therapy remains paramount despite the important advances in revascularisation and many other good issues as well as some limitations. The section on medical therapy of chronic coronary syndromes patients shows some inconsistency between text and the suggested scheme as well as contradictions with recommendations of regulatory agencies. It is not immediate to appreciate what is good and what is not so good in guidelines, which are often read in a hurry. We have provided a short commentary for the readers who usually concentrate more on the figures and flowcharts rather than on the text.