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Chest pain

Causes
Clinical features
Investigations
Therapy
Prognosis
Clinical features

Ask about a history of angina or MI a b

Why?

Previous unstable angina or myocardial infarction makes a further episode more likely

Patient Target Disorder and
Reference Standard		 Diagnostic Test LR+
(95% CI) 		Post-test Probability LR-
(95% CI) 		Post-test Probability
central or left-sided chest pain a
(pre-test probability: 41%) 		MI or unstable angina
(ECG, cardiac enzymes, stress tests) 		previous history of MI or angina 2.3
(1.9 to 2.7) 		62% 0.37
(0.30 to 0.47) 		21%
 

 

Expiry date: June 2003
Levels of Evidence used in grading these guides

Author   CM   Ball
Reviewer   S   Straus
CAT Writers   CJ   Wotton , CM   Ball , N   Shenker , RS   Phillips