YS is 74 year old female who presents to a community hospital with chest pain. She was noted to have mild abnormality on the EKG however her chest pain had resolved and initial blood work did not show evidence of damage to the heart muscle.She was admitted to the hospital given multiple risk factors with concerns for underlying heart disease. Over the next 12 to 24 hours she began to have chest pain again. EKG and blood work was consistent with ongoing heart attack. Patient was flown to University of Maryland Capital Region Medical CenterShe had emergency cardiac catheterization done by Dr. Sadiq and was also noted to have severe 80 percent blockage that was fixed by placing a stent. She was also noted to have a blockage in the blood vessel in the front of the heart that was fixed the following day.
Take Home Message: If someone is having chest pain they may still have coronary artery disease even in the initial workup may not show heart attack or damage to the heart muscle.
Please note this is meant for information/reference purposes only and not diagnosis. Evaluation and treatment by a licensed physician is always recommended.
