Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Nov 1990
[Criteria for differential diagnosis in cardial symptoms; left- or right-sided chest pain?].
We studied the localization of pain in the acute phase of myocardial infarction in comparison with localization in non-cardiac chest pain. Myocardial infarction patients could not be differentiated from patients with non-cardiac chest pain in localization of pain on mid-chest, left side of the chest and left arm. ⋯ Results are similar when patients indicated the localization of the pain symptoms on attending the Emergency Coronary Care Unit, or when asked five days later. Pain symptoms on the right side of the chest and the right arm differentiate better between myocardial infarction and non-cardiac chest pain than the 'classical' symptom pattern.