Chest Pain – SP Medifort Hospital

Chest Pain Treatment

Chest Pain Treatment in Trivandrum

Chest pain is when you feel pain or discomfort in the area between your neck and your belly. It can feel sharp or dull, and the pain might come and go or stay with you all the time. How the pain feels, where it’s felt, and how long it lasts depend on what’s causing it.

What are the symptoms of chest pain?

Chest pain symptoms depend on the cause.

Shortness of breath.
Nausea.
Lightheadedness.
Rapid or irregular heartbeat.
Pressure, squeezing, tightness, heaviness, or aching in the chest
Cold sweats.
Pain that spreads to the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, back, or upper belly.

What causes chest pain?

Chest pain has many possible causes.

Heart attack: A heart attack happens when the blood flow to part of the heart muscle gets blocked, so the heart doesn’t get the oxygen it needs. This can cause chest pain or discomfort and is a medical emergency that needs urgent treatment to prevent serious harm or death.
Aortic dissection: Aortic dissection is a rare but serious condition where the inner layer of the body’s main artery (the aorta) tears and blood pushes between its wall layers. This causes sudden, very severe pain and requires emergency care.
Angina: Angina is chest pain that happens when the heart doesn’t get enough blood. People often feel pressure, heaviness, squeezing, or tightness in the chest. It’s usually a sign of heart artery disease and can sometimes warn of a heart attack.
Pericarditis: Pericarditis is inflammation of the thin sac around the heart. It usually causes sharp chest pain that may get worse when you lie down, cough, or take a deep breath.
Swallowing disorders: Problems with the esophagus can make swallowing painful and lead to chest discomfort.
Gallbladder or pancreas disease: Conditions like gallstones or inflammation can cause upper stomach pain that spreads to the chest.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Stomach acid flows back into the esophagus, causing a burning chest pain called heartburn.
Pulmonary embolism: This happens when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery in the lungs, blocking blood flow. The symptoms can feel similar to a heart attack and need urgent medical care.
Pleurisy: This is irritation of the lining around the lungs. It causes sharp chest pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply, cough, or sneeze.
Collapsed lung (pneumothorax): This occurs when air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall. Chest pain usually starts suddenly, lasts for hours, and is often accompanied by shortness of breath.
Pulmonary hypertension: This is high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. It can cause chest pressure, pain, and breathing difficulty, especially during activity.
Costochondritis: Inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the breastbone. It can cause chest pain that feels like a heart problem, often on the left side.
Injured ribs: Bruised or broken ribs can cause sharp chest pain, especially with movement or breathing.
Long-term pain conditions: Conditions like fibromyalgia can cause ongoing muscle pain that may affect the chest area.
Panic attack: Sudden chest pain with fear, fast heartbeat, rapid breathing, sweating, or dizziness. Seek medical help if unsure.
Shingles: A viral infection causing severe pain and a band of blisters around the chest.
Nerve pain: Pinched or irritated nerves in the back can cause chest pain that feels sharp, burning, or tingling.

Diagnosis of Chest Pain

Some of the tests done to diagnose the cause of chest pain are:

Medical history: The doctor asks about the chest pain (onset, location, duration, and intensity) and other symptoms.
Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG): Measures the heart’s electrical activity to detect heart problems.
Blood tests: After heart damage, such as a heart attack, certain proteins and substances leak into the blood. Blood tests can detect these markers to help confirm if the heart has been injured.
Chest X-ray: Evaluates lungs, heart size, and chest structures. A chest X-ray can diagnose pneumonia or a collapsed lung.
CT scan or MRI: Detailed imaging of the heart, lungs, or chest structures if needed.
Echocardiogram: Ultrasound of the heart to check heart function and blood flow.
CT coronary angiogram: Uses X-rays to create detailed images of the heart and its blood vessels to check for heart problems.
Exercise stress test: Monitors the heart while you exercise (or with medicine if you can’t) to see how it responds to stress.
Coronary catheterization: A thin tube is inserted into a blood vessel and guided to the heart. Dye highlights the arteries on X-ray to detect blockages.

Chest pain risk factors

Chest pain can occur due to various health or medical reasons.

Age: Risk increases with age, especially over 45 for men and 55 for women.
High blood pressure: Puts extra strain on your heart and arteries.
High cholesterol: Can clog arteries and reduce blood flow to the heart.
Smoking: Damages blood vessels and increases heart disease risk.
Diabetes: Can affect blood vessels and heart health.
Obesity: Adds strain on the heart and lungs.
Excess alcohol or drugs: Can harm your heart and cause irregular heartbeats.

Treatment options available for chest pain

Chest pain treatment depends on what’s causing the pain.

Medications: Medications for chest pain depend on its cause. Nitroglycerin is often used when chest pain comes from blocked heart arteries, usually taken under the tongue to relax the arteries and improve blood flow. Some blood pressure medicines can also widen blood vessels and help ease heart-related chest pain. Aspirin may be given when chest pain is heart-related; it doesn’t relieve pain immediately but helps prevent blood clots. During a heart attack, clot-busting drugs are used to dissolve clots blocking blood flow, while blood thinners can prevent future clots in the heart or lungs. If chest pain is caused by heartburn, acid-reducing medicines help lower stomach acid. For chest pain linked to panic attacks, doctors may recommend anti-anxiety medications along with therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy.

Angioplasty and stent placement: This procedure helps open a blocked artery going to the heart. A doctor threads a thin tube with a small balloon through a blood vessel, usually in
the groin, to the heart. The balloon is inflated to widen the artery, then removed. A tiny mesh tube called a stent is often placed to keep the artery open and improve blood flow.

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG): This is open-heart surgery to bypass blocked or narrowed heart arteries. The surgeon takes a vein or artery from another part of the body and uses it to create a new pathway for blood to reach the heart, increasing blood flow and improving heart function.

Emergency repair surgery: In life-threatening situations like a ruptured aorta (aortic dissection), urgent surgery is needed to repair the artery and prevent serious complications.

Lung reinflation: If a lung collapses, a doctor may insert a tube into the chest to help reinflate the lung and restore normal breathing.