Adams "Chest Pain" Flashcards
Heart shows something is wrong by:
chest pain
Differential of Chest pain
anxiety ASS asthma cardiomyopathy esophagitis gastroenteritis hypertensive emergency myocarditis pericarditis cardiac tamponade aortic dissection PE shingles
Brain says something is wrong by:
HA and vomiting
“Never let clothing stand between you and the diagnosis”
Shingles
“Doc, I think an elephant is on my chest and I am going to die!”
Classic MI presentation
ACS
Acute Coronary Syndrome
-non-cardiac disease
-stable angina
-unstable angina (60%
-definite ischemic event
STEMI 30%, NSTEMI 25%)
Unstable angina worries
hard to diagnose because no elevated troponin AND will go on to have an MI in next 10 days
MI Classic presentation
Hx: early AM presentation with substernal achy pressure
pain radiates to anterior neck, shoulders, left arm, and back
- “chest pain”
- dyspnea (SOB)
- nausea
- diaphoresis (sweating)
What percentage of MI presentations will have “chest pain?”
about 50%
- the other 50% will have SOB, nausea, sweating or other weird symptom
Classic MI Qs to ask
RISK FACTORS
Risk Factors for MI
- past hx of CAD
- smoker
- HTN
- elevated cholesterol
- family hx of CAD (mom died before
Typical physical exam findings of MI
*doesn’t lend much info most of the time
- chest clear
- RRR without murmur, S3, S4 or rub
- abdomen soft, guaiac negative stool
- no peripheral edema
- diaphoretic skin
Alternative presenations of MI
- no “pain”
- SOB
- sweaty
- syncope
- stroke
- palpitation
- indigestion
- weakness
- pain in referred areas, such as right arm/hand or abdomen
*use adjectives to help them describe their chest: heart burn? pressure? squeezing? burning? numbness?
Alternative presenations in populations…
- syncope and weakness in elderly
- women, young, and elderly present atypical
Alternative physical
S3: LV dysfunction
S4: decreased LV compliance
new murmur: papillary muscle tear/dysfunction
CHF: crackles, hepatojugular reflux, leg edema
___ and ___ (of ACS) can look same initially on EKG
UA and NSTEMI look same initially on EKGs
vs.
STEMI
NSTEMI and q waves…
No Q wave MI
Q wave MI
STEMI and q waves…
No Q wave MI
Q wave MI**most
Angina
- symptom rather than a diagnosis
- mismatch of oxygen demand and delivered oxygen to cardiac muscle –> ischemia (reversible)
How long does angina last
30 minutes = ischemia (no longer angina)
Types of angina
- stable angina (can be very freq and still stable, less predictive of CAD in women)
- prinzmetal’s (vasospasm, assoc with ST elevations, occurs at rest, often night, rarely with exercise)
- unstable angina (increasing duration, freq, intensity, new associated symptoms, occur with increasly less activity and rest)
*10% of unstable angina will have MI in 7 days
grade I angina
“ordinary physical activity doesn’t cause angina” (walking, stairs, etc.)
angina occurs with strenuous, rapid or prolonged exertion at work or recreation