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The ER isn’t equipped to definitively determine every cause of chest pain, though your doctor may have suggested a few possible causes of your pain. The main job of the ER doctor is to make sure it wasn’t a heart attack, blood clot, collapsed lung, infection, or problem with your aorta that caused your pain. Sometimes, the type of pain, your vital signs, X-ray or CAT scans, and the blood tests that we sent, will rule out each of these causes. Then, we’re left with a list of at least 25 other common causes of chest pain. In most instances, an NSAID will help muscle or chest wall pains. And an antacid can help with certain types of stomach pains masquerading as chest pain. These are issues that are best resolved during follow-up with your primary care team. Chest pain is a serious symptom. You should always pay attention to it. You should follow up with your primary care team with a call the next day. Likewise, your ER doc may have given you the contact for a cardiologist who can go through your heart health and to advise you if any other tests can help understand the cause of your pain. They can also offer medicines that could help with the pain, or explore other conditions that could increase your risk of heart attack.
