Chest Pain Center - Germantown, MD
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Chest PainIntroductionChest 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:
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 PainWhat 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... Other Related Chest Pain ArticlesEmergency Contact for Germantown
Nearby Germantown Hospitals * Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland  Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Adventist HealthCare  Shady Grove Adventist Hospital  Montgomery General Hospital  Inova Loudoun Hospital Center  Suburban Hospital  North Spring Behavioral Healthcare  National Institutes of Health  Reston Hospital Center  Holy Cross Hospital  Graydon Manor Behavioral Health  Frederick Memorial Hospital  Sibley Memorial Hospital  Psychiatric Institute of Washington  Walter Reed Army Medical Center  Washington Adventist Hospital  Howard County General Hospital  Inova Fair Oaks Hospital  Georgetown University Hospital  Virginia Hospital Center  Laurel Regional Hospital  National Rehabilitation Hospital  Springfield Hospital Center  Washington DC VA Medical Center  Washington Hospital Center  Providence Hospital  Children's National Medical Center  Dominion Hospital  Inova Fairfax Hospital  Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children  Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute  Howard University Hospital  The George Washington University Hospital  The HSC Pediatric Center  The Specialty Hospital of Washington  Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital  Prince George's Hospital Center  Doctors Community Hospital  Sheppard Pratt at Ellicott City  Inova Alexandria Hospital  Saint Elizabeth's Hospital  United Medical Center  The Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley  Northwest Hospital  Spring Grove Hospital Center  Carroll Hospital Center  Prince William Hospital  Kernan Hospital  Inova Mount Vernon Hospital  Jefferson Memorial Hospital  Saint Agnes Hospital  Bon Secours Baltimore Health System  Baltimore Washington Medical Center  Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center & Hospital  Sinai Hospital of Baltimore  Fort Washington Hospital Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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