The following is an excerpt....
BASICS
Description
- Cardiac testing is indicated for emergency patients at risk for heart failure (HF) or acute coronary syndromes (ACS).
- These pathologies may be thought of as a spectrum: Unstable angina can evolve into MI, which in turn can cause heart failure:
- ∼20% of ED malpractice claims are due to missed diagnosis of ACS.
- ∼2% of patients with ACS are inappropriately discharged from an ED.
- History, physical exam, and EKG are the critical elements in working up chest pain and ACS/HF.
- History, physical, and EKG nevertheless miss 1–4% of all heart attacks.
- Additional tools include imaging modalities and blood tests (eg, cardiac biomarkers)
Etiology
ACS is caused by atherosclerotic narrowing of coronary vessels or by coronary vasospasm.
You must be logged in to fully access this content.
Sign up for a 30-Day Free Trial
Sign up for a 30-Day FREE Trial now and receive access to all content.
Have a book code?
Submit your book code to create your
FREE standard account.