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Chest Pain Center - Tacoma, WA

WebMD Physician Directory

Tacoma, Washington

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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

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Emergency Contact for Tacoma

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Tacoma Hospitals *

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Center
317 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Tacoma, WA 98405
(253)403-1400

St Joseph Medical Center
1717 South J St
Tacoma, WA 98405
(253)426-4101

Tacoma General Hospital
315 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Tacoma, WA 98405
(253)403-1000

Pierce County Human Services
3580 Pacific Ave
Tacoma, WA 98418
(253)798-4500

Allenmore Hospital
1901 S Union Ave
Tacoma, WA 98405
(253)459-6633

St Francis Hospital
34515 Ninth Ave S
Federal Way, WA 98003
(253)944-8100

Saint Clare Hospital
11315 Bridgeport Way SW
Lakewood, WA 98499
(253)588-1711

Good Samaritan Hospital & Community Healthcare
407 14th Ave SE
Puyallup, WA 98372
(253)848-6661

Auburn Regional Medical Center
202 N Division St
Auburn, WA 98001
(253)833-7711

Highline Medical Center Main Campus
16251 Sylvester Rd SW
Burien, WA 98166
(206)244-9970

Valley Medical Center
400 S 43rd St
Renton, WA 98055
(425)228-3450

Schick Shadel Hospital
12101 Ambaum Blvd
Seattle, WA 98146
(206)244-8100

Highline Medical Center Specialty Campus
12844 Military Rd S
Tukwila, WA 98168
(206)244-0180

The Regional Hospital for Respiratory & Complex Care
12844 Military Rd S
Seattle, WA 98168
(206)248-4548

West Seattle Psychiatric Hospital
2600 SW Holden St
Seattle, WA 98126
(206)933-7199

Enumclaw Regional Hospital
1450 Battersby Ave
Enumclaw, WA 98022
(360)825-2505

VA Puget Sound Health Care System
1660 S Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108
(206)762-1010

Providence St Peter Hospital
413 Lilly Rd NE
Olympia, WA 98506
(360)491-9480

Harrison Medical Center
2520 Cherry Ave
Bremerton, WA 98310
(360)377-3911

Harborview Medical Center
325 Ninth Ave
Seattle, WA 98104
(744)731-3000

Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Campus
500 17th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
(206)320-2000

Swedish Medical Center First Hill Campus
747 Broadway
Seattle, WA 98122
(206)386-6000

Virginia Mason Medical Center
1100 9th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
(206)223-6600

Group Health Central Hospital
201 16th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98112
(206)326-3000

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
825 Eastlake Ave E
Seattle, WA 98109
(206)288-1400

Overlake Hospital Medical Center
1035 116th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425)688-5000

University of Washington Medical Center
1959 NE Pacific St
Seattle, WA 98195
(206)598-6555

Capital Medical Center
3900 Capital Mall Dr SW
Olympia, WA 98502
(360)754-5858

Swedish Medical Center Ballard Campus
5300 Tallman Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
(206)782-2700

Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center
4800 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206)987-2000

Group Health Eastside Hospital
2700 152nd Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98052
(425)883-5151

Kindred Hospital Seattle
10631 8th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125
(206)364-2050

Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
1550 N 115th St
Seattle, WA 98133
(206)364-0500

Fairfax Hospital
10200 NE 132nd St
Kirkland, WA 98034
(425)821-2000

Evergreen Hospital Medical Center
12040 NE 128th St
Kirkland, WA 98034
(425)899-1000

Mason General Hospital
901 Mt View Dr
Shelton, WA 98584
(360)426-1611

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