Chest pain is an important presentation in primary care. Clinical assessment can be a challenge, as there are many potential causes of chest pain, ranging from benign to life-threatening. Since referring all patients to chest pain clinics is neither feasible nor appropriate, this article aims to help you differentiate between chest pain requiring urgent action, such as acute coronary syndrome or pulmonary embolism, and less serious non-cardiac chest pain that can (at least initially) be managed in the community.
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