Chest pain Flashcards
ACS chest pain
Heavy, central chest pain that may radiate to arms, neck, back and jaw
Burning, pressure, squeezing or tightness
Usually located substernal or in the left chest
Nausea, sweating
Elderly patients and diabetics may experience no pain
PE chest pain
Sharp and pleuritic pain
Aortic dissection
Acute substernal tearing sensation, with radiation to interscapular region of the back
Unequal upper limb blood pressure
Presents similar to MI
Aortic stenosis
Typical angina pain
Chest pain is progressive
SOB, syncope
At higher risk of cardiogenic shock and sudden death
Pneumothorax
Acute, pleuritic chest pain, SOB
Spontaneous in men aged 20-40 or COPD patients
History of asthma, Marfan’s etc
Peptic ulcer disease
Epigastric pain (sometimes seems like chest pain) or burning with onset after eating and may last for several hours
Herpes zoster
Unilateral burning pain in typical dermatome
Pain often presents before the rash
Pulmonary embolism
Sudden SOB and pleuritic chest pain
Calf pain/swelling
Current combined pill user, malignancy, immobility, surgery
Pericarditis
Sharp pain relieved by sitting forwards
May be pleuritic in nature
GORD
Burning retrosternal pain
Other possible symptoms include regurgitation and dysphagia
MSK pain
The pain is often worse on movement or palpation
May be precipitated by trauma or coughing
Perforated peptic ulcer
Sudden onset of epigastric abdominal pain, it may be soon followed by generalised abdominal pain
Previous Hx of abdominal discomfort which was typically worse immediately after eating
Boerhaave syndrome (Oesophageal rupture)
Spontaneous rupture of the oesophagus that occurs as a result of repeated episodes of vomiting.
Severe retching and vomiting followed by excruciating retrosternal chest and upper abdominal pain
Odynophagia, tachypnea, dyspnea, cyanosis, fever, and shock develop rapidly thereafter
