ABSTRACT
Patients may experience acid in the back of their mouths and often relate symptoms to particular types of food. Aortic dissections classically give rise to central burning/tearing chest pain that is sudden in onset and radiates through to the patient’s back. Patients usually have either hypertension or a connective tissue disorder. This is a common disorder resulting from dysfunction of the lower oesophageal sphincter, giving rise to symptoms that can be similar in nature to acute coronary syndromes (ACS). As a symptom, chest pain may originate from any structure within the chest wall, thoracic cavity, or mediastinum. The chapter provides chest pain may reflect pathology arising from any organ or structure within the thoracic cavity, mediastinum or chest wall. Whilst the initial focus should be to investigate for the presence of ACS or Pulmonary embolus it is important to consider other potential causes when assessing patients with chest pain.
