CASE presentation of chest pain types, causes, investigations, management. cardiac vs non cardiac pain. life threatening chest pain. MI, ACS, PNEUMOTHORAX, PE, GERD, AORTIC DISSECTION.
2. Objectives
Describe various etiologies for chest pain
Typical vs Atypical chest pain
Review approach to chest pain
Focus on life threatening causes of chest pain
Management of chest pain
Review patient cases
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3. Overview
Chest pain accounts for 6 million annual visits to the Emergency
Departments in the United States
Chest pain is the second most common Emergency Department
complaint after abdominal pain.
Wide range of etiologies
Cardiac, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal
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8. Types of chest pain
• Characterized as discomfort/pressure rather than pain
• Time duration >2 mins
• Provoked by activity/exercise
• Radiation (i.e. arms, jaw)
• Does not change with respiration/position
• Associated with diaphoresis/nausea
• Relieved by rest/nitroglycerin
Typical
• Pain that can be localized with one finger
• Constant pain lasting for days
• Fleeting pains lasting for a few seconds
• Pain reproduced by movement/palpation
Atypical
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9. Approach to a patient with chest pain
History
Examination
Stabilization
Investigations
Diagnosis
Management
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10. What are the key parts of HOPI in
chest pain patient?
What can you get out of patient in 4
minutes?
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11. History matters
Location: Central, left, or right
Timing: Gradual or sudden onset
Duration: since onset
Character: crushing, stabbing, tearing, squeezing, sharp
Associated symptoms: SOB, sweating, nausea
Aggravating factors: What makes it worse or better?
Quality: Visceral vs somatic
Radiation: Back, neck, arm
Severity: Scale of 1-10
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12. Rest of the history
Past medical and surgical: cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease
Medication: Nitroglycerin, ASA etc.
Allergies: Always important!
Social: Smoker, Alcoholic, Cocaine,
Family: Sudden Death, Early MI, DVT, Pulmonary embolism
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13. Key points in physical
examination
what can you examine in 2 minutes?
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15. This man is brought to ED through
ambulance
What do you do next?
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16. Approach in emergency department
First 60 seconds
How does the patient look?
What are the patient’s vital signs?
Ambulance story?
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17. Next 5 minutes
What are 2 bedside tests to consider?
What is an important and cheap medication you
should consider?
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18. Next 5 minutes
Brief History
Brief Physical
ABCs, IV line, O2, monitor vitals, pulse oximetry
What are 2 bedside tests that can be done to help stratify the
patient?
ECG
Portable CXR
What is an important and cheap medication you should consider?
ASA (More on this later)
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19. Next 10 minutes
Patient already stabilized, initial data gathered, and
initial orders submitted
Secondary survey: More detailed history and physical
exam
Address patient’s pain
Goal now is to categorize patient
1) Chest wall pain- Musculoskeletal
2) Pleuritic chest pain- Respiratory
3) Visceral chest pain- Cardiac
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21. Case 1
64 year old man presents with 5 hours of chest pain and chest pressure
associated with SOB, nausea and diaphoresis. Gradual onset while
shoveling the snow. Pain radiated towards left jaw. Improved with rest.
Past medical history: HTN, DM
General: Nontoxic appearing, apprehensive, mildly diaphoretic
Vitals: 37.5ºC, RR16, HR 100, BP 160/95
CVS: RRR, Normal S1, S2, no M/R/G
Respiratory: CTAB, easy respirations
Abdomen: Soft, NTND
Extremities: No calf tenderness or swelling, no edema, strong distal pulses
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23. Case 1 Acute Coronary Syndrome
ECG:
This will differentiate what you must do now.
(Specific but not sensitive)
ST elevation in 2 contiguous leads: STEMI
New LBBB
Ischemia/strain: ST depressions, new T wave inversions, Q
waves
Nonspecific: T wave flattening/inversions or Q waves
without old EKG
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24. Case 1 ACS
CXR
To look for failure and evaluate for other cause of chest pain
Cardiac Enzymes
Marker Elevation Peak Duratio
CK-MB 3-12 h 18-24 h 2 days
Troponin-I 3-12 h 18 h 5-10 d
Troponin-T 3-12 h 12 h 5-14 d
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26. Treatment of ACS
ABCs, IV line, O2, monitor vitals, pulse oximetry
Morphine sulphate 5–10 mg or diamorphine 2.5–5 mg
Aspirin 300mg plus clopedogril 600mg within 12 hours
Aspirin continued-75–300 mg daily
Heparin-fondaparinux 2.5 mg daily-8 days
Sublingual glyceryl trinitrate (300–500 μg)or isosorbide dinitrate 1–2 mg/hour
Atenolol 5–10 mg or metoprolol 5–15 mg given over 5 mins
Fibrinolysis with streptokinase or Alteplase(tpA)
Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
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27. Case 2
30 years old male had an open reduction internal fixation of ankle
fracture 2 weeks ago, now presented with sudden onset of chest
pain.
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29. Pulmonary embolism
Symptoms
SOB or dyspnea- Present in 90%
Chest pain (pleuritic)- 66% of patients with PE
Cough
Sudden onset
Signs
Tachycardia > 100 beats per minute
Tachypnea > 20 breaths per minute
Hypoxia < 95% on RA (no other cause)
Lower extremity swelling
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30. Pulmonary Embolus Risk Factors
Hypercoaguability
Malignancy, pregnancy, estrogen use, factor V Leiden, protein C/S
deficiency
Venous stasis
Bedrest > 48 hours, recent hospitalization, long distance travel
Venous injury
Recent trauma or surgery
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31. Pulmonary embolism: diagnosis
CT pulmonary angiography (first line diagnostic test)
Electrocardiography
Rule out MI, pericarditis and other causes
Arterial blood gases
reduced PaO2, normal or low PaCO2
D-dimer
Ventilation–perfusion scanning
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32. Treatment of PE
Oxygen, keep O2 saturation above 90%
IV fluid to maintain blood pressure
Heparin (Will limit propagation but does not dissolve clot)
Unfractionated: 80 u/kg bolus, 18 h/kg/hr
Fractionated (Lovenox): 1 mg/kg SC BID
Fibrinolytics
Alteplase 50–100 mg infused over 2–6 hrs, (bolus in severe shock)
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33. Case 3
35 years old male with sudden
ripping pain radiating to back.
Diagnosis?
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34. Aortic dissection
Blood violates aortic
intimal and adventitial
layers
False lumen is created
Dissection may extend
proximally, distally, or
in both directions
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36. Etiology; Aortic Dissection
Bimodal distribution
Young: Connective tissue (Marfan) or pregnancy
Older: Most commonly > 50 (mean age 63)
Risk factors
Male: 66% of patients
Hypertension: 72% of patients
Connective tissue disease
30% of Marfan’s patients get dissections
Cocaine Use
Syphilis
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37. Clinical presentation
Difficult clinical diagnosis
85% have chest or back pain
“Ripping” or “tearing” pain in 50%
Neurologic symptoms(paraplegia) in 20%
Hematuria
Asymmetric pulses(brachial, carotid, femoral)
Occlusion of aortic branches may cause
MI (coronary)
stroke (carotid)
mesenteric infarction with an acute abdomen (coeliac and superior
mesenteric),
renal failure (renal)
acute limb (usually leg) ischaemia.
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38. How do you confirm the
diagnosis of this disease?
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39. Aortic dissection; diagnosis
CXR-
Widened mediastinum, abnormal aortic knob, pleural effusions
Chest CT-
Very sensitive and specific
Quickly obtained
Must think about kidney + contrast
Angiography-
Gold standard
Most reliable anatomy of dissection
Transoesophageal echocardiography
Bedside U/S – evaluate aorta and look at heart to rule out tampanode.
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41. Management
2 large bore IV’s, monitor vitals, Type and crossmatch blood, ECG
Ascending dissections will need aortic replacement surgery (type
A dissection)
If dissection is only descending, management is medical
Blood pressure control
Maintain systolic BP at120-130 mmHg
Beta blockers are first line (Labetalol and Esmolol)
Can add vasodilators i.e. nitroprusside
Percutaneous endoluminal repair
Stent graft implantation
Admission to ICU
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42. Case 4
18 year old healthy male was lifting weights when he had sudden onset of
sharp Chest Pain + Shortness Of Breath.
HR 122, RR 34, BP 70/P, Sat 88%
Decreased breath sounds on left side
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45. Management
Primary spontaneous pneumothorax
If small
Observe: resolves in 10 days
Small chest tube with one way valve may help
If larger
100% O2 supply
Analgesics
Needle aspiration followed by chest tube placement
Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax
Chest tube drainage
Surgical intervention to prevent recurrence
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49. Case 5
40 years old man presented with chest pain since 3 weeks with heart burn specially
after meals. He has difficulty in swallowing with sour taste in mouth.
On examination he is anemic and has lost weight.
Diagnosis?
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50. Gastroesophageal reflux disease
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Heartburn (30-60min after meal)
Spontaneous reflux of sour or bitter gastric contents into the mouth.
Noncardiac chest pain
Chronic cough
Alarming features
Troublesome dysphagia
Odynophagia,
Weight loss
Iron deficiency anemia
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52. Management
Life style modification
Eating smaller meals and elimination of acidic foods
Weight loss and smoking cessation
Avoid lying down within 3 hours after meals
Initial therapy
PPIs; omeprazole or rabeprazole, 20 mg taken 30min before breakfast-4-6
weeks
Long term therapy
PPIs therapy can be discontinued after 8–12 weeks
H2-receptor antagonists (cimetidine 200 mg) may be used to control
symptoms
Surgical fundoplication
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53. Summary
Chest pain is a very common complaint but has a broad differential
Always try to rule out the life-threatening causes of chest pain
It is important to remember that troponin elevation DOES NOT
always mean ACS
Use the history, physical exam, labs, EKG and imaging to commit to
a diagnosis
Whenever you are stuck, ask for help. Your seniors are here to help
you!
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