Which chest pain characteristics are more likely cardiac versus non-cardiac?
Cardiac chest pain:
- Characteristics: “vise-like”, heavy, crushing, pressing, pressure, burning, aching, tightness, burning, indigestion
- Radiation: to the arm, neck or shoulder
- Associated symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diaphoresis
Non-cardiac chest pain:
- Duration: seconds or days, as opposed to minutes or hours
- Localization: a very small area, e.g. size of the finger tip
- Precipitation: movement of the thorax or by inspiration, by palpation
- Characteristics: sharp, stabbing, pleuritic.
