The treatment of patients presenting with chest pain has seen huge improvement over the past six years since the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease was published in March 2000. This set a standard to treat people suffering from heart attack with thrombolytic drugs within an hour of them calling for professional help. The story is one of enormous change; before the NSF less than a quarter of patients suffering myocardial infarction received thrombolytic therapy within one hour of calling for expert help, today just over 60% do. This was achieved by the hard work and innovations in care delivered by NHS staff. These advances increased the demands on nurses and paramedics working with this group of patients; both have met the challenge.
Notable changes include expanded roles for nurses in the acute care setting; the role of ‘chest pain or thrombolysis’ specialist nurse is well established. A significant percentage of thrombolytic treatment is now given pre-hospital by paramedics, and rapid access chest pain clinics have been a great success with 98% of all patients now seen within 14 days of referral. Additionally primary angioplasty services for the treatment of myocardial infarction are now coming on stream and there is a project looking at the feasibility of delivering this across the country. These are all excellent examples of how services can be re-designed to speed up the patient journey and improve outcomes.
Jenny Tagney and John Albarran have produced a comprehensive guide to the diagnosis and treatment of the patient presenting with chest pain of medical or surgical origin. We know that speed to treatment is critical for saving lives and to quality of life for survivors, whether the cause is amenable to medical or surgical treatment.
This book will be of great use to nurses, cardiac physiologists, paramedics and other allied health professionals working with patients with chest pain. It will be a welcome addition and resource across both acute hospital, ambulance and primary care settings.
Notable changes include expanded roles for nurses in the acute care setting; the role of ‘chest pain or thrombolysis’ specialist nurse is well established. A significant percentage of thrombolytic treatment is now given pre-hospital by paramedics, and rapid access chest pain clinics have been a great success with 98% of all patients now seen within 14 days of referral. Additionally primary angioplasty services for the treatment of myocardial infarction are now coming on stream and there is a project looking at the feasibility of delivering this across the country. These are all excellent examples of how services can be re-designed to speed up the patient journey and improve outcomes.
Jenny Tagney and John Albarran have produced a comprehensive guide to the diagnosis and treatment of the patient presenting with chest pain of medical or surgical origin. We know that speed to treatment is critical for saving lives and to quality of life for survivors, whether the cause is amenable to medical or surgical treatment.
This book will be of great use to nurses, cardiac physiologists, paramedics and other allied health professionals working with patients with chest pain. It will be a welcome addition and resource across both acute hospital, ambulance and primary care settings.
Contents
Section 1 Principles of assessment and diagnosis
- 1. Background to the assessment and management of patients with chest pain – using this book
- 2. Coronary heart disease, healthcare policy and evolution of chest pain assessment and management in the UK
- 3. History taking
- 4. Clinical examination skills for assessing the patient with chest pain
- 5. Assessment and differential diagnoses in the patient with chest pain
Section 2 Advanced assessment and management of patients presenting with chest pain
- 6. Assessing and managing the patient with chest pain due to an acute coronary syndrome
- 7. Analysing the presentation of women with chest pain and other symptoms associated with coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction
- 8. Assessing and managing the patient with chest pain due to either acute pericarditis or myocarditis
- 9. Assessing and managing the patient with chest pain due to an aortic dissection
- 10. Assessing and managing the patient with chest pain due to pulmonary embolism
- 11. Assessing and managing the patient with chest pain due to trauma
- 12. Assessing and managing the patient with chest pain due to oesophago-gastric disorders
- 13. Assessing and managing the patient with musculoskeletal chest pain
- 14. Assessing and managing the patient with pulmonary chest pain
- 15. Assessing and managing the patient with chest pain due to cardiac syndrome X, cocaine misuse and herpes zoster
Index
Book Details
- Paperback: 280 pages
- Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (March 20, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 140514422X
- ISBN-13: 978-1405144223
- Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches