Evaluation of chest pain

Abstract

The evaluation of patients with chest pain is a common task for medical practitioners. This commonly occurs in the context of an emergency department or inpatient hospital encounter and requires a comprehensive yet focused approach to provide a rapid diagnosis and assessment of risk. This chapter outlines the key elements of this evaluation: history and symptoms, physical exam, and ancillary testing, with a particular focus on imaging strategies that can be employed for the evaluation of chest pain and their use in settings such as chest pain evaluation units.