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Chest pain
From WikEM
								(Redirected from Chest Pain)
												
				See Acute coronary syndrome (main) for ACS specific workup and risk stratification; see Chest pain (peds) for pediatric patients.
Contents
Background
Clinical Features
Risk of ACS
Clinical factors that increase likelihood of ACS/AMI:[1][2]
- Chest pain radiating both arms >R arm >L arm
 - Chest pain associated with diaphoresis
 - Chest pain associated with nausea/vomiting
 - Chest pain with exertion
 
Clinical factors that decrease likelihood of ACS/AMI:[3]
- Pleuritic chest pain
 - Positional chest pain
 - Sharp, stabbing chest pain
 - Chest pain reproducible with palpation
 
Male and female patients typical present with similar symptoms[4]
Differential Diagnosis
Chest pain
Critical
- Acute Coronary Syndromes
 - Aortic Dissection
 - Cardiac Tamponade
 - Pulmonary Embolism
 - Tension Pneumothorax
 - Boerhhaave's Syndrome
 - Coronary Artery Dissection
 
Emergent
- Pericarditis
 - Myocarditis
 - Pneumothorax
 - Mediastinitis
 - Cholecystitis
 - Pancreatitis
 - Cocaine-associated chest pain
 
Nonemergent
- Stable angina
 - Asthma exacerbation
 - Valvular Heart Disease
 - Aortic Stenosis
 - Mitral valve prolapse
 - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
 - Pneumonia
 - Pleuritis
 - Tumor
 - Pneumomediastinum
 - Esophageal Spasm
 - Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
 - Peptic Ulcer Disease
 - Biliary Colic
 - Muscle sprain
 - Rib Fracture
 - Arthritis
 - Chostochondirits
 - Spinal Root Compression
 - Thoracic outlet syndrome
 - Herpes Zoster / Postherpetic Neuralgia
 - Psychologic / Somatic Chest Pain
 - Hyperventilation
 - Panic attack
 
Evaluation
For risk stratification see ACS - Risk Stratification
Management
- Treat cause
 
See Also
Video
References
- ↑ 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
 - ↑ 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
 - ↑ 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
 - ↑ 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.
 
