Evidence-Based Use of Cardiac Procedures and Devices

The fundamental principle of evidence-based medicine is that clinical practice should rest on a sound scientific foundation established by clinical studies involving human subjects. The level of evidence needed for the adoption of new therapies should vary according to the clinical situation, and the higher the stakes, the better the evidence should be. The stakes grow higher in proportion to the size of the affected population, the severity of illness, and the cost of the therapy.Several therapies in cardiovascular medicine are backed by substantial evidence of high quality. For example, the effects of statin therapy on mortality and the . . .