Not all chest pain is cardiac related. Conditions causing chest
pain range in severity from minor, for example a chest wall bruise,
to catastrophic, such as a dissecting aortic aneurysm.
Chest pain takes on special significance for the EMS provider because it
is very difficult to differentiate between the various clinical
presentations. This is particularly true in the assessment of myocardial
ischemia.
Besides the mediastinum, chest pain can arise
in the chest wall, the lungs and pleura and
the abdomen. It can also be due to psychogenic (non-organic) sources.
Chest pain can originate in the mediastinum,
the chest wall, the lungs and pleura and the abdomen.
It can also be due to psychogenic sources
such as stress.
Chest Wall
traumatic contusion
muscle strain
overuse syndromes such as rotator cuff
tear with pain radiating from the shoulder
