Concise Review of Recent Evidence on Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Treatment for ‘Real-Heart Pain’ (Angina Pectoris)

Background: In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the term "real-heart pain" encompasses clinical manifestations that correspond to angina pectoris and myocardial infarction in modern Western medicine. For over two millennia, TCM has developed extensive empirical approaches for managing real-heart pain, often characterized by low cost and practical efficacy. In contrast, Western medicine provides a well-established scientific framework and evidence-based treatments for angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, albeit with higher healthcare costs. Integrating these two paradigms may yield improved clinical outcomes. Objective: This review aims to provide a concise summary of recent evidence (2020-2025) on the integrated treatment of real-heart pain using TCM and Western medicine, with a focus on angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, and ResearchGate databases to identify relevant publications from 2020 to 2025. The search focused on clinical reports, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical guidelines related to the integrative treatment of coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction. Results: Sixteen clinical studies met the inclusion criteria. These included RCTs, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and guidelines evaluating the combined use of TCM and Western medical approaches. The integrated treatments consistently demonstrated significant improvements in clinical outcomes compared to conventional therapy alone, including enhanced symptom relief, improved cardiac function, better prognoses, and reduced treatment costs. Conclusion: Evidence from the past five years supports the clinical value of integrating TCM with Western medicine in the management of real-heart pain, particularly angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. This approach may offer superior efficacy, enhanced prognosis, and economic advantages over conventional treatment alone.