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Chest Pain Center - Fort Pierce, FL

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Fort Pierce, Florida

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Chest Pain

Introduction

Chest pain is one of the most common complaints that will bring a patient to the Emergency Department. Seeking immediate care may be lifesaving, and considerable public education has been undertaken to get patients to access medical care when chest pain strikes. While the patient may be worried about a heart attack, there are many other causes of pain in the chest that the healthcare provider will need to consider. Some diagnoses are life threatening, while others are less dangerous.

Deciding the cause of chest pain is sometimes very difficult and may require blood tests, x-rays, CT scans and other tests to sort out the diagnosis. Often though, a careful history taken by the healthcare provider may be all that is needed to find the answer.

What are the sources of chest pain?

The source of pain may arise from a variety of potential sources:

  • the chest wall including the ribs, the muscles, and the skin;
  • the back including the spine, the nerves, and the back muscles;
  • the lung, the pleura (the lining of the lung) or the trachea;
  • the heart including the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart);
  • the aorta;
  • the esophagus;
  • the diaphragm, the flat muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavities;
  • referred pain from abdominal organs like the stomach, gallbladder, and pancreas.

While each source of chest pain may have a classic presentation of signs and symptoms, there is significant overlap among the symptoms of each condition, and the symptoms may also be affected by age, gender and race.

What are the causes of chest pain?

Pain can be caused by almost every structure in the chest. Different organs can produce different types of pain but unfortunately the pain is not specific to each cause. Each of the following ca...

Recommended Reading Related to Chest Pain

Angioplasty and Stents »

What is balloon angioplasty?

Balloon angioplasty of the coronary artery, or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), was introduced in the late 1970's. PTCA is a non-surgical procedure that relieves narrowing and obstruction of the arteries to the muscle of the heart (coronary arteries). This allows more blood and oxygen to be delivered to the heart muscle. PTCA, is now referred to as percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI, as this term includes the use of balloons, stents, and atherectomy devices. Percutaneous coronary intervention is accomplished with a small balloon catheter inserted into an artery in the groin or arm, and advanced to the narrowing in the coronary artery. The balloon is then inflated to enlarge the narrowing in the artery. When successful, percutaneous coronary intervention can relieve chest pain of angina, improve the prognosis of individuals with unstable angina, and minimize or stop a heart attack without having the patien...

Emergency Contact for Fort Pierce

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Fort Pierce Hospitals *

Lawnwood Pavilion
1860 N Lawnwood Cir
Fort Pierce, FL 34950
(772)466-1500

Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute
1700 S 23rd St
Fort Pierce, FL 34950
(772)461-4000

New Horizon's of the Treasure Coast
4500 W Midway Rd
Fort Pierce, FL 34981
(772)468-5600

Port St Lucie Hospital
2550 SE Walton Rd
Port Saint Lucie, FL 34952
(772)335-0400

St Lucie Medical Center
1800 SE Tiffany Ave
Port Saint Lucie, FL 34952
(772)335-4000

Indian River Medical Center
1000 36th St
Vero Beach, FL 32960
(772)567-4311

HEALTHSOUTH Treasure Coast Rehabilitation Hospital
1600 37th St
Vero Beach, FL 32960
(772)778-2100

Martin Memorial Medical Center
200 SE Hospital Ave
Stuart, FL 34994
(772)287-5200

Martin Memorial Hospital South
2100 SE Salerno Rd
Stuart, FL 34997
(772)223-2300

Sebastian River Medical Center
13695 US Hwy 1
Sebastian, FL 32958
(772)589-3186

Raulerson Hospital
1796 Hwy 441 N
Okeechobee, FL 34972
(863)763-2151

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