This section contains information about Guidelines that are developed by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society™. These Guidelines are developed by a dedicated team of cardiovascular physician and allied health experts to provide health care professionals the guidance, tools and resources needed to assist them in the day-to-day care of cardiovascular patients in Canada.

What are Guidelines

CCS Guidelines represent current recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management of heart disease. These recommendations are based upon exhaustive reviews of relevant published research undertaken by health care professionals recognized across Canada and around the world for their expertise. CCS Guidelines are useful for establishing patient care standards and serving as a balanced and trustworthy reference for Canadian health care professionals.

The CCS continues to build upon a well-established track record of developing world-class Guidelines. To date, CCS has developed 17 such Guidelines, each addressing a specific cardiovascular illness. Each Guideline is developed independent of and at arm's length from third party interests. This fundamental principle is considered essential to maintaining objectivity and balance of Guideline content.

Putting Guidelines to Use

CCS Guidelines are developed for Canadian health care professionals involved in research, teaching and, especially, day-to-day delivery of patient care. CCS Guidelines are also available to patients and families who wish to acquaint themselves with evidence-based recommendations for patient care. The CCS makes these Guidelines broadly available to constantly improve the quality of cardiovascular patient care across Canada.

The most recent CCS Guidelines include both Peripheral Arterial Disease and Heart Failure. In the case of Heart Failure Guidelines, CCS is currently leading a multi-year, collaborative project to identify best practices in Guidelines development and implementation. In this project, CCS is collaborating with many national health organizations including Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Canadian Nurses Association, among many others.