Medical professionals should use standardized risk assessments, clinical pathways and tools to evaluate and communicate with people experiencing chest pain, according to guidelines published Oct. 28 from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.
"Everyone should know the symptoms that can indicate a heart attack and that calling 911 is the most important thing to do to save their life or that of their loved one experiencing chest pain," said Martha Gulati, MD, chair of the guideline writing group and professor of cardiology at the University of Arizona in Phoenix. "This standard approach provides clinicians with the guidance to better evaluate patients with chest pain, identify patients who may be having a cardiac emergency and then select the right test or treatment for the right patient."
The guidelines, published in Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, represents the first time the AHA and ACC have collaborated on a comprehensive document focused on chest pain evaluation and diagnosis.