CanadiEM Podcasts: CRACKCast, ClerkCast, CarmsCast, First Year Diaries CRACKCast E214 – Chest Pain
9 snips
Jun 1, 2020 Dive into the complexities of diagnosing chest pain in the emergency department! Explore critical components like risk stratification and essential evaluations while differentiating between cardiac and non-cardiac causes. Learn about the HEART score and its role in managing chest pain. The discussion also highlights specific management strategies for acute aortic dissection, including how to target heart rate and blood pressure effectively. With valuable insights into imaging and patient assessment, this episode is a must-listen for healthcare professionals!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Effective Chest Pain History
- Ask about pain characteristics like pressure, tearing, and pleuritic quality to direct the diagnosis.
- Include associated symptoms such as syncope, dyspnea, and nausea to refine differential causes of chest pain.
Key Physical Exam for Chest Pain
- Perform thorough physical exam checking respiratory distress, diaphoresis, blood pressure, heart sounds, and JVP.
- Assess for signs like unilateral diminished breath sounds, pericardial rub, subcutaneous emphysema, and leg swelling.
Broad Chest Pain Differential
- Consider critical diagnoses such as acute MI, aortic dissection, tamponade, massive PE, and tension pneumothorax.
- Also include emergent and non-emergent differential diagnoses across cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems.