Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in the population. According to data from the World Health Organization of 2016, of the 20.8 million deaths from these diseases, 9.2 million occur due to atherosclerotic coronary disease (ACD) [1]. ACD is the most common cause of mortality in developed countries [1,2]. Comparing Brazilian patients with stable ACD from 40 to 75 years per 1,000 inhabitants with those from European countries, it is noted that Brazil (58.4 %) is surpassed only by England (59.0 %) and Spain (81.5 %) [3,4]. This disease is the leading cause of death in some South American countries, such as Argentina (12.0 %), Bolivia (11.0 %) and Ecuador (8.0 %). In Brazil, it is responsible for large numbers of deaths and health care expenditures [2]. Among ACDs, we highlight coronary diseases (CDs) resulting from occlusion or narrowing of the coronary arteries due to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The CDs, responsible for about 7.4 million deaths per year in Brazil [1,2,5], are associated with a set of risk factors, including advanced age, gender, smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, genetic factors, hypercholesterolemia and sedentary lifestyle [2,3,6]. Within the therapeutic arsenal for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation (AMICST) to the electrocardiogram (ECG), primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the most important reperfusion strategy. However, its accomplishment within the deadlines defined in the evidence of the studies is a great challenge [7]. The typical clinical manifestation of chronic ACD is stable angina, characterized by pain or discomfort in the chest, epigastrium, mandible, shoulder, dorsum or upper limbs. It is usually described by the patient as tightness, oppression, constriction or weight, and is typically triggered or aggravated by physical activity or emotional stress and attenuated with rest and use of nitrates [5,7].
