Chest Pain

Summary: <br> There are six cardiopulmonary causes of chest pain that you need to know.<br> <br> <br> <br> The SIX Causes<br> <br> <br> <br> * Cardiac* Acute coronary syndrome (ACS)* Pericarditis with tamponade* Pulmonary* Pneumonia* Pneumothorax* Vascular* Pulmonary embolism* Aortic dissection<br> <br> <br> <br> Step 1: Core Measures<br> <br> <br> <br> * Aspirin* EKG<br> <br> <br> <br> Step 2: Look for the “King” (Acute Coronary Syndrome)<br> <br> <br> <br> * Four high yield symptoms* Radiation to the RIGHT shoulder* Vomiting* Worsens with exertion* Diaphoresis<br> <br> <br> <br> Step 3: Look for the “Queen” (Pulmonary Embolism)<br> <br> <br> <br> * Wells score* PERC rule<br> <br> <br> <br> Step 4: Print a Previous Cath Report<br> <br> <br> <br> * Major bonus points with attending!* Other useful information* Previous echocardiograms* Previous stress tests* Previous CTAs for PE<br> <br> <br> <br> Step 5: Basic Testing Plan<br> <br> <br> <br> * If concerned for cardiac causes* Troponin* If concerned for pulmonary causes* Chest x-ray* If concerned for vascular causes* CTA of the chest<br> <br> <br> <br> Additional Reading<br> <br> <br> <br> * STEMI <a href="http://www.emclerkship.com/stemi/">(EM Clerkship)</a>* Pulmonary Embolism <a href="http://www.emclerkship.com/pulmonary-embolism/">(EM Clerkship)</a><br>