In this article, we will discuss the Diagnosis of Acute Chest Pain. So, let’s get started.
Diagnosis
ECG: It is a pivotal for identifying the myocardial ischaemia/infarction with the primary aim of recognising ST-elevation (STEMI). These are candidates for PTCA. It also helps to detect abnormalities indicative of pulmonary embolism, ventricular hypertrophy, pericarditis, myocarditis, electrolyte imbalance and metabolic disorders.
Chest X-ray: It is performed routinely. The chest X-ray is useful for identifying pulmonary diseases causing chest pain, i.e. pneumonia, pneumothorax. It is also helpful in diagnosis of pulmonary oedema and aortic dissection.
Cardiac biomarkers: Creatinine kinase MB, cardiac troponin is the preferred biomarker for diagnosis of MI.
D-dimer: It helps to exclude pulmonary embolism.
Other non-invasive studies:
Echocardiography: It is not a routine test. It is done for ischaemic dysfunction (i.e.regional wall abnormality) for mechanical complications of MI or for pericardial tamponade. Transthoracic echocardiography is useful for detection of aortic dissection.
CT angiography/MRI: CT angiography of chest, coronary angiography may be done in selected cases. Cardiac MRI is a versatile technique for structural and functional evaluation of the heart and vasculature of chest.