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

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.