ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of a 62-year-old man who is brought to the Emergency Department as a 'priority call' after he developed chest pain. His medical history is notable for type 2 diabetes and hypertension, and there is no family history of cardiac disease. The patient has significant cardiac risk factors and presents with acute cardiac-sounding chest pain. The initial steps to managing the patient should proceed along the 'ABCDE' approach. Supplemental oxygen was traditionally provided even to non-hypoxic patients, but recent evidence suggests it does not provide any benefit and may even harm such individuals. Given the presence of hypotension and possible right ventricular involvement and the absence of signs to suggest pulmonary oedema, an intravenous fluid bolus should be administered. The most important goal of the acute management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is coronary reperfusion, which may be achieved either by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or use of fibrinolytic agents.
