Chest Pain

Chest pain is a common symptom which can be caused by many different conditions. Some causes of chest pain require prompt medical attention, such as angina, heart attack, or tearing of the aorta. Other causes of chest pain can be evaluated electively, such as spasm of the esophagus, gallbladder attack, or inflammation of the chest wall. Therefore, an accurate diagnosis is important in providing proper treatment to patients with chest pain.

The cause of chest pain can range from an ordinary, harmless muscle pull to serious cardiac complication ultimately leading to cardiac arrest.

The heart, like the prince in a kingdom, in whose hands lie the chief and highest authority, rules over all; it is the foundation from which all power is derived, on which all power depends in the body. -William Harvey, 1628