Heart Health: A Guide to the Tests and Treatments You Really Need

The idea that heart disease is the most common cause of death gets misinterpreted to mean that any and all heart condition is an imminent danger to life and needs to be aggressively tested and treated. In the absence of good, trustworthy information, patients are guided mostly by their gut reaction and instincts when they are diagnosed with heart disease. With the misperception that more is better, they all too often end up relying on the test and treatment recommendations of their harried healthcare provider, who could well be influenced by accepted norms, cognitive biases, legal concerns, or economic considerations, whether consciously or not. Such decisions and recommendations lead to the gross overuse of cardiac procedures, even when the risks of test and treatment can be worse than the disease itself. Dr. Jignesh Shah explores the various tests and treatments available to cardiac patients and reveals those that are most helpful, those that are likely unnecessary, and those that should be pursued only in certain circumstances. Using real life stories, he helps readers to cultivate a better understanding of heart disease and guides them to make better decisions for their care based on their own needs and medical situations. He helps to correct the misconceptions that have guided and misguided patients for years.