Chest Pain Unit

• 3 chest pain nurses (one in each shift)
• Medical input provided by A&E Registrar, Cardiology Clinical Associate, co-coordinated by an Emergency Medicine and Cardiology Consultant

A two-bedded unit located within the clinical decision area of the emergency department, with the potential to expand to required number of beds.

24 x 7 hours

Any person who develops any type of chest, back, shoulder, either arm or jaw discomfort or uneasiness like:

• Pain in chest, upper back, jaw, arm
• Difficulty in breathing or suffocating feeling
• Uneasiness, restlessness
• Undue sweating
• Upper abdomen discomfort which may be thought of as ‘GAS’

• The patient will be examined thoroughly after taking a detailed examination by a doctor trained in emergency management
• An ECG will be done
• A blood sample for cardiac enzyme will be taken
• If either ECG or blood report is abnormal or there is any abnormality on examination, the patient will be admitted
• If the examination, ECG and blood report are normal, the patient will be asked to wait at the unit for four hours. At the end of four hours, another ECG and blood sample will be taken. If again both are normal, the patient will be discharged. However, if either is abnormal, the patient will be admitted
• In some cases an X-ray, 2D Echo, Ultrasound or some other tests may be performed, before making a final decision