Troy Madsen, MD; Brennen Holt, MD; Chad Agy, MD; Rachelle Perkins, BS; Margaret Carlson, BS; Jacob Steenblik, MPH, MHA; Joseph Bledsoe, MD; Gerry Doyle, MD (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Madsen, Troy (University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine)
Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is a deadly, nondiscriminatory condition affecting all races, ethnicities, genders, and ages. There are an estimated 300,000-600,000 Americans affected every year. Sudden death is often the first symptom in a quarter of those with a PE. Chest pain is also a frequent symptom, yet it may be indicative of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Pleuritic chest pain, defined as pain worsening with inhalation, is associated with non-ACS diseases, its presence is considered when evaluating a patient's risk for PE versus ACS. The proposed project, under the supervision of Troy Madsen M.D, attempts to determine the patients' overall risk of PE or ACS when presenting to the Emergency Department with pleuritic chest pain. The project also aims to evaluate the efficacy of using pleuritic chest pain history in a PE diagnosis. PE being of the most under-diagnosed conditions affecting hospitalized patients, this study specifically looks to include pleuritic chest pain in the decision-making process for diagnosing PE. While other studies look at age, malignancy, thrombophilia, and estrogen, our study evaluates all data collected from the presentation to the ED through the thirty-day phone call to determine the prevalence of PE in those with chest pain as their chief complaint.