In my previous post, I described a young man who had recovered from a stab to the heart. He did well for a week and a half, but then presented to the ED with significant chest pain. It seems to be substernal and somewhat pleuritic. What should you do to work it up further?
There have been a number of helpful comments. The first order of business is to rule out problems which may prove to be life threatening. In his case, ischemic disease and some failure of the repair must be ruled out quickly. Although ischemia or MI are unlikely in this young man, they are possible and should be evaluated.
I recommend the following:
- Auscultate the chest and heart (remember this from medical school?)
- PA chest x-ray
- EKG
- CBC
- Troponin
- FAST exam focusing on the heart
My list is short and simple, and should help me figure out nearly all significant problems.
In this case, the following findings are present:
- The lungs are clear, and their is a faint cardiac friction rub
- The chest x-ray is unremarkable
- EKG shows ST elevations in two of the lateral leads only. Otherwise, it is normal.
- CBC is normal with the exception of WBC 14,000
- There is a trace level of troponin present
- FAST demonstrates a very small pericardial effusion without clot
So what do you make of all this? What’s the diagnosis? What do you need to do? Tweets and comments please.
Answers Monday!
