title: But he has no chest pain….
abstract: Atypical presentations of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are not uncommon and have been associated with higher mortality probably, because these patients are misdiagnosed and undertreated. They are most frequently encountered in older patients, women and in patients with diabetes, chronic renal failure or dementia. It is also well described in the literature that many chemotherapy agents are associated with myocardial ischaemic events. In addition to that, patients with cancer frequently receive large doses of opiate analgesics for chronic pain, which can obscure the symptoms of myocardial ischaemia. In this case report, we describe a patient who was receiving chemotherapy and large doses of opiate analgesics and presented with atypical symptoms for ACS. Our aim is to raise awareness of this challenging group of patients and the necessity to pay particular attention to symptoms other than chest pain as potential indicators of myocardial ischaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology , The Ipswich Hospital , Ipswich , UK.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Merinopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology , The Ipswich Hospital , Ipswich , UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bloore