ENG: Acute chest pain syndrome may consist of tightness, burning or other discomfort in the chest or a severe pain that spreads to your back, neck, shoulders, arms or jaw. It may be accompanied by shortness of breath. Acute chest pain syndrome accounts for over 7 million emergency department visits annually in the U.S., making it one of the most common complaints. Fewer than 8% of these patients are diagnosed with the three major cardiovascular causes of acute chest pain syndrome, which are acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary embolism or aortic dissection. However, the life-threatening nature of these conditions and low specificity of clinical tests lead to substantial use of cardiovascular and pulmonary diagnostic imaging, often yielding negative results.
