Chest Pain

Presentation with chest pain remains one of the commonest diagnostic work ups that Cardiologists will see.

 AS A RULE, ALL CHEST PAIN IS CARDIAC UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.

 This section in no way should be taken as a substitute for seeking medical advice when you are experiencing any type of chest pain, and you should consult your doctor or emergency department immediately in the presence of chest pain.

 Once you have consulted your doctor, it may be more apparent to them about whether the pain is of concern, whether it is likely to be coming from the heart, or whether it could be related to chest wall pain, oesophageal pain, indigestion, oesophageal reflux, anxiety or stress induced pain or some other cause. Unless it is very apparent that the pain is not cardiac, it is usually prudent to rule out heart abnormalities, in particular angina, by performing appropriate non-invasive diagnostic tests, such as a stress test or stress echocardiogram. Prior to this a resting ECG may also give a clue to whether there is any cardiac abnormality. If the pain seems clearly due to lack of blood flow to the heart, you’re doctor may elect to proceed directly to an Angiogram, which remains the only way of 100% excluding significant Coronary Artery Disease.

 It is not uncommon for us to be confidently rule out a heart cause for chest pain but not be able to definitively find a cause, such as occurs with non specific chest wall pain.