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1.4.2. Defining Chest Pain
COR LOE
Recommendations
1 B-NR 1. An initial assessment of chest pain is recommended to
triage patients effectively on the basis of the likelihood that
symptoms may be attributable to myocardial ischemia.
1 C-LD 2. Chest pain should not be described as atypical, because
it is not helpful in determining the cause and can be
misinterpreted as benign in nature. Instead, chest pain should
be described as cardiac, possibly cardiac, or noncardiac
because these terms are more specific to the potential
underlying diagnosis.
2. Initial Evaluation
2.1 Recommendation for History
COR LOE
Recommendation
1 C-LD 1. In patients with chest pain, a focused history that includes
characteristics and duration of symptoms relative to
presentation as well as associated features, and cardiovascular
risk factor assessment should be obtained.
Treatment
