The Pulse Newsletter Expert heart health, in plain English. Fortnightly, from our clinicians. Subscribe →

Heart Matters: Expert Heart Health Information

From Our Library

T Wave Inversion on Your ECG: What It Actually Means
Worth Revisiting · Tests & Procedures

T Wave Inversion on Your ECG: What It Actually Means

T wave inversion describes a small wave on the tracing pointing down instead of up. In several of the heart's twelve viewpoints that is completely normal. What matters is which ones, and whether it is new.

Beta-Blockers: Uses, Side Effects, and Precautions
Medications

Beta-Blockers: Uses, Side Effects, and Precautions

Beta-blockers calm the heart by blocking adrenaline, and they treat far more than blood pressure. Here is what yours is doing, the side effects worth knowing about including vivid dreams, and why you must never stop one suddenly.

Berry Power Protein Booster: A Cardiologist’s Breakfast
Live Well

Berry Power Protein Booster: A Cardiologist’s Breakfast

The breakfast question patients ask most often is what will actually keep them full until lunch. This 10-minute smoothie answers it with viscous fibre, protein, and berries, and explains why the milk you pour in matters more than it looks.

SCAD: Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: What It Is and What to Expect
Conditions

SCAD: Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: What It Is and What to Expect

SCAD is a heart attack caused by a tear in the artery wall, not cholesterol. It mostly affects healthy women in their 40s and 50s, and the recovery outlook for most people is genuinely positive.

Understanding Your Cholesterol Test: What Each Number Means
Tests & Procedures

Understanding Your Cholesterol Test: What Each Number Means

A cholesterol result often arrives as a column of numbers and abbreviations with little explanation. Here is what each value measures, how the two international units compare, and why the right LDL level differs from person to person.

Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) and Heart Health
Medications

Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) and Heart Health

ARBs are among the world's most prescribed heart medicines, and the go-to alternative when ACE inhibitors cause a cough. Here is what an ARB does, what to expect while taking one, and how it protects your heart and kidneys.

What a Pacemaker Does, and What Life With One Is Like
Conditions

What a Pacemaker Does, and What Life With One Is Like

Being told you need a pacemaker can feel like a significant moment. In practice it is one of the most established procedures in cardiology, and for a heart beating too slowly the difference it makes is usually large and quick.

Explore by Topic

Heart Matters Resources

Heart Matters on YouTube

47,000+ subscribers · Latest videos

Visit Channel
Special Focus

Women's Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, yet it is still widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed. Our dedicated section covers the symptoms, risk factors and treatment differences that every woman should know.

Explore the guide
80% of heart disease in women is preventable