Chest pain
Chest pain is discomfort or pain that you feel anywhere along the front of your body between your neck and upper abdomen.
Causes
Heart problems that can cause chest pain:
nlm.nih.gov - Angina is a type of heart-related chest pain. This pain occurs because your heart is not getting enough blood and oxygen. The most common symptom is chest pain that occurs behind the breast bone or slightly to the left of it. It may feel like tightness, heavy pressure, squeezing, or crushing pain. The pain may spread to the arm, shoulder, jaw, or back.
- Aortic dissection (tearing of the aorta wall) causes sudden, severe pain in the chest and upper back.
- Heart attack pain can be similar to the pain of unstable angina, but more severe.
- Inflammation or infection in the tissue around the heart (pericarditis) causes pain in the center part of the chest.
- A blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism), collapse of a small area of the lung (pneumothorax), or inflammation of the lining around the lung (pleurisy) can cause chest pain that usually feels sharp, and often gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough.
- Asthma generally also causes shortness of breath, wheezing, or coughing.
- Pneumonia causes chest pain that usually feels sharp, and often gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough.
- Anxiety and rapid breathing
- Inflammation where the ribs join the breast bone or sternum (costochondritis)
- Shingles (inflammation/infection of the nerve that causes sharp, tingling pain on one side that stretches from the chest to the back)
- Strain or inflammation of the muscles and tendons between the ribs
- Achalasia
- Esophageal spasms (abnormal contractions of the muscles in the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach)
- Gallbladder (pain often gets worse after a meal, especially a fatty meal)
- Heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
- Pancreatitis (aching pain in the upper abdomen and back)
- Stomach ulcer or gastritis (burning pain occurs if your stomach is empty and feels better when you eat food)
- In children, most chest pain is not caused by the heart.
Nursing Intervention for Chest Pain
The principles of Action:
- Bed rest with Fowler position / semi-Fowler
- Perform 12 lead ECG if necessary 24 leads
- Observe vital signs
- Collaboration of oxygenation and administration of drugs analgesics, tranquilizers, nitroglycerin, calcium antagonists and observations of drug side effects.
- Install a drip and give peace to clients
- Taking blood samples
- Reduce environmental stimuli
- Be calm in the works
- Observing signs of complications.