title: The rise of cardiovascular medicine.
abstract: Modern cardiology was born at the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth centuries with three great discoveries: the X ray, the sphygmomanometer, and the electrocardiograph. This was followed by cardiac catheterization, which led to coronary angiography and to percutaneous coronary intervention. The coronary care units and early reperfusion reduced the early mortality owing to acute myocardial infarction, and the discovery of coronary risk factors led to the development of Preventive Cardiology. Other major advances include several cardiac imaging techniques, the birth and development of cardiac surgery, and the control of cardiac arrhythmias. The treatment of heart failure, although greatly improved, remains a challenge. Current cardiology practice is evidence-based and global in scope. Research and practice are increasingly conducted in cardiovascular centres and institutes. It is likely that in the future, a greater emphasis will be placed on prevention, which will be enhanced by genetic information.
authors.affiliation: The TIMI Study Group, Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, 350 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ebraunwald@partners.org
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Braunwald
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000266:history; D057791:Cardiac Imaging Techniques / Q000266:history; D002309:Cardiology / Q000266:history* / Q000639:trends; D002404:Catheterization / Q000266:history; D003325:Coronary Care Units / Q000266:history; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000266:history; D005544:Forecasting; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000639:trends; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000266:history* / Q000628:therapy; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000639:trends; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000266:history; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000266:history; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000639:trends; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000266:history