Understanding chest pain can enable you to seek timely help from a professional cardiologist before complications like heart attacks occur. A cardiac specialist works to determine the cause of your pain and will advise you on how to mitigate heart problems. During diagnosis, the specialist determines the type and severity of chest pain depending on factors like its duration, intensity, and location. Here is information about chest pain, its causes, and treatments:
Causes of Chest Pain
Chest pains may be an early sign of a cardiovascular condition known as pulmonary embolism. This condition happens after blood clots block the vessels that supply blood to the lungs. Visiting a cardiologist immediately after you start experiencing shortness of breath and chest pain allows for a diagnostic exam. This exam includes using a ventilation and perfusion (VQ) scan, blood test, and pulse oximeter. The diagnostic tests enable cardiac specialists to check whether adequate oxygen or blood clots are present in the lungs.
Experiencing chest pains can also indicate that you have a heart condition known as aortic dissection. This condition happens because of a tear in the coronary artery, causing an inadequate supply of blood to the heart. Aortic dissection may start by causing a type of chest pain known as angina, which isn’t continuous but instead comes and goes. Spasms in the coronary artery, fat buildup in the artery, or atherosclerosis are other related problems that cause angina. Cardiovascular physicians may advise patients experiencing this type of chest pain to maintain healthy lifestyles by avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and managing stress. Other potential causes of pain in the chest include heart muscle inflammation, heart attack, pericardium inflammation, and heart valve disease.
When To See a Cardiologist
One sign you may need help from a cardiologist is experiencing discomfort or tightness in the chest. This discomfort or worsening chest pain may signify the inability of your heart arteries to function better because of narrow size or damage. A visit to a heart specialist is also beneficial if you suddenly experience shortness of breath or swollen legs and feet, which can result from heart disease. Cardiac doctors use modern diagnostic tools, including electrocardiograms or Holter monitors, to assess heart health.
Scheduling an appointment with a cardiologist can also help if your chest pain spreads to other parts of the body, such as the jaw, neck, or arms. Excessive sweating while experiencing pain in the chest is a sign that you need a cardiovascular doctor. Sweating can happen when the heart overworks to pump blood in the event of artery blockage. Other reasons to see a cardiac doctor include fatigue, fluttering or racing heartbeat, and persistent coughs.
Treatments for Chest Pain
Before treatment, your heart doctor will assess how your chest pain feels to determine the right intervention. When experiencing this pain, you may feel pressure, crushing, tearing, or squeezing in the chest. A heart specialist can conduct an angioplasty and stenting surgery to help treat chest pain. This procedure helps open coronary arteries that are blocked or narrow in size. The surgeon places a stent, a small mesh tube, to allow better blood flow. Other treatments and procedures for chest pain include medications, pacemaker insertion, and catheter ablation.
Visit a Cardiovascular Specialist Today
Several heart-related problems, including aortic dissection, myocarditis, and heart attack, cause persistent chest pains. Early intervention by a professional cardiologist can help prevent potentially life-threatening problems like lung damage and deteriorated heart health. Contact a heart doctor today to schedule an appointment.