ABSTRACT
Heart disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. In India while rheumatic heart disease continues to cause major concern, hypertension and ischemic heart disease have attained notable proportions. It is of significance that in the developed world there has been a considerable decline in mortality of coronary heart disease. Stable angina is characterized by cardiac pain which is brought on by exertion/exercise. There is no pain at rest. Unstable angina refers to progressively increasing cardiac pain at rest which often is of prolonged duration. This type of angina has a great risk of developing myocardial infarction and therefore is also termed as "preinfarction angina". Myocardial infarcts are commonly referred according to their extent, location and duration. Coronary artery occlusion leads to ischemic necrosis of the anatomic region of the myocardium supplied by the affected artery.
