Patient with Chest Pain of Obscure Origin: Can AMI be Recognised Early at AED? - A Review of Diagnostic Methods and a Suggested Protocol for the Local A&E Department

Abstract

Chest pain is a common presentation to Accident and Emergency departments (AED). There are many causes ranging from the most trivial, an example of which is costochondritis to the life-threatening examples such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It is not uncommon for acute myocardial infarction to present as atypical chest pain or discomfort, or non-diagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG). The various common diagnostic methods for AMI in patients with atypical chest pain are reviewed and a suggested protocol for managing patient with chest pain of obscure origin at AED is presented. The recent introduction of rapid bedside troponin assay is likely to bring a major impact on the management of atypical chest pain in future.