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Objective To study the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or both TCM and guideline-recommended Western medicine (WM) in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods A cross-sectional nationwide survey of 2803 CHD outpatients was completed by collecting information, including general demographic data, disease history, and use of drugs (including TCM and WM). Results Of the 2712 CHD outpatients with complete drug treatment data, only 3.1% received TCM without any WM for CHD, 30.0% received both TCM and WM recommended by current CHD guidelines, and 66.9% received only WM. Patients with a longer history of CHD or with a history of stroke, were more likely to use TCM. However, 90.6% of CHD patients who used TCM also used certain WM. Furthermore, patients who used more types of TCM tended to use much less WM recommended by current guidelines. Conclusion A substantial proportion of Chinese CHD outpatients use both TCM and WM for secondary prevention of CHD. It is important to assess the effect of combined TCM and WM on major clinical outcomes in Chinese CHD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]