Acute chest pain

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See Acute coronary syndrome (main) for ACS specific workup and risk stratification; see Chest pain (peds) for pediatric patients.

Background

Clinical Features

Risk of ACS

Clinical factors that increase likelihood of ACS/AMI:[1][2]

Clinical factors that decrease likelihood of ACS/AMI:[3]

  • Pleuritic chest pain
  • Positional chest pain
  • Sharp, stabbing chest pain
  • Chest pain reproducible with palpation

Gender differences in ACS

  • Women with ACS:
    • Less likely to be treated with guideline-directed medical therapies[4]
    • Less likely to undergo cardiac catheterization[4]
    • Less likely to receive timely reperfusion therapy[4]
    • More likely to report fatigue, dyspnea, indigestion, nausea or vomiting, palpitations, or weakness,[4] although some studies have found fewer differences in presentation[5]
  • More likely to delay presentation[4]
  • Men with ACS:
    • More likely to report central chest pain

Factors associated with delayed presentation[4]

  • Female sex
  • Older age
  • Black or Hispanic race
  • Low educational achievement
  • Low socioeconomic status

Differential Diagnosis

Chest pain

Critical

Emergent

Nonemergent

Evaluation

Workup

Younger patients/less concerning story

Older patients/more concerning story

Diagnosis

Consider differential diagnosis (see above) and rule out emergent causes

Management

  • Based on underlying cause

Disposition

  • Based on underlying cause
  • HEART score may assist in determining low risk discharge vs admission for further ACS evaluation

See Also

Videos

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References

  1. Body R, Carley S, Wibberley C, et al. The value of symptoms and signs in the emergent diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes. Resuscitation. 2010;81(3):281–286. PMID: 20036454
  2. Panju AA, Hemmelgarn BR, Guyatt GH, et al. The rational clinical examination. Is this patient having a myocardial infarction? JAMA. 1998;280(14):1256–1263. PMID: 9786377
  3. Swap CJ, Nagurney JT. Value and limitations of chest pain history in the evaluation of patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes. JAMA. 2005;294(20):2623–2629. PMID: 16304077
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Mehta LS, et al. Acute myocardial infarction in women: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2016; 133:916-947.
  5. Gimenez MR, et al. Sex-specific chest pain characteristics in the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. JAMA Intern Med. 2014; 174(2):241-249.