Acute Care Cardiovascular Essentials for Advanced Practice Providers-Chest Pain Evaluation in Emergency Department

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The video is a part of a six-part series on acute care medicine, with the focus of this particular video being chest pain evaluation in the emergency department. The speaker discusses that chest pain is the second most common complaint in the United States Emergency Department, with a majority of patients not presenting with cardiac-related chest pain. Different causes of chest pain are mentioned, such as musculoskeletal pain, GI issues, stable angina, and acute myocardial ischemia. The speaker emphasizes the importance of differential diagnosis and ruling out life-threatening conditions such as acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary embolism, and aortic dissection. The workup process involves asking questions about the quality, location, radiation, and temporal elements of the pain, as well as assessing associated symptoms. Diagnostic tests like EKG, cardiac biomarkers, D-dimer, CBC, BNP, and chest x-ray are also mentioned. The speaker explains the risk stratification process using tools like the TIMI risk score and the heart score. Depending on the risk level, patients may be discharged, admitted for observation, or admitted for management of acute coronary syndrome. Stress testing options and considerations for different patient populations are discussed, along with the importance of serial testing. The video concludes with references for further reading and an invitation to reach out with any questions.

Keywords

chest pain evaluation

differential diagnosis

acute coronary syndrome

pulmonary embolism

diagnostic tests

stress testing