Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium, which surrounds the heart, leading to sharp, often positional chest pain.
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) encompasses conditions like heart attacks and unstable angina, caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, presenting as pressure or tightness in the chest.
Pneumothorax involves the collapse of a lung due to air leaking into the space between the lung and chest wall, causing sudden, sharp chest pain and difficulty breathing.
Pulmonary embolism is the blockage of an artery in the lungs by a blood clot, leading to chest pain, shortness of breath.
An aneurysm, particularly a thoracic aortic aneurysm, involves the abnormal bulging of the aorta as it courses through the chest, which can cause tearing chest pain if it dissects or ruptures.
While all of these conditions present with chest pain, they are distinctly different in their causes, underlying mechanisms, and treatments, highlighting the importance of the PAPPA mnemonic shown here. Shoutout to John Bielinski Jr, PA-C who first taught me this mnemonic years ago.
Be great,
Evan, The Paramedic Coach
#medical #paramedic #cardiology
