Chest Pain

Cardiology Specialists of Orange County

Board Certified in Cardiovascular Diseases & Interventional Cardiology located in Santa Ana, CA; Newport Beach, CA; & Irvine, CA

Chest pain is often no more than a muscle strain or a bout of indigestion, but it can also be a sign of heart trouble. If you have chest pain, Cardiology Specialists of Orange County's knowledgeable, experienced cardiologists can help. At the locations in Santa Ana, Irvine, and Newport Beach, California, the practice provides state-of-the-art laboratory facilities to accurately diagnose your condition as well as advanced treatments for the causes of chest pain. Get prompt help for your chest pain by calling the office closest to you or scheduling an appointment online today.

Chest Pain Q & A

What could be causing my chest pain?

There are many reasons you may experience chest pain. Common causes include sore muscles due to overexertion and heartburn caused by acid refluxing from your stomach up into your esophagus.

However, the main concern when you have chest pain is that it could relate to your heart. Cardiac conditions are a widespread problem, and many can be potentially life-threatening. If you have chest pain, it's always best to seek medical advice.

If you have angina — heart-related chest pain — you might have additional symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, cold sweats, or nausea.

What is angina?

Angina isn't a disease; it’s a symptom of a heart issue. The cause of this type of chest pain is a lack of oxygen in the heart muscle. It may feel like something squeezing your chest or putting pressure on it and might spread into your neck, back, shoulders, arms, and jaw.

Angina is most often due to heart disease, where your coronary arteries become narrow or blocked, preventing blood from flowing freely into your heart. Another reason may be coronary microvascular disease (MVD), which affects the smallest coronary arteries.

How is chest pain diagnosed?

Cardiology Specialists of Orange County have on-site labs at all their locations, offering comprehensive, non-invasive testing to determine the source of your chest pain.

The initial protocol is usually an electrocardiogram (ECG), which measures your heart's electrical activity and can detect urgent problems like a heart attack. The next is likely to be an echocardiogram, which is a type of chest ultrasound.

If these diagnostic tests can't detect the cause of your chest pain, you might need to undergo more specialized procedures such as a stress test, nuclear imaging, and Holter monitoring.

What treatments are there for chest pain?

The treatments recommended by Cardiology Specialists of Orange County vary depending on the cause but could include:

Weight loss
Lifestyle changes
Artery relaxant medication
Aspirin
Blood-thinning medicines
ACE inhibitors
Angiotensin ii receptor blockers
Beta-blockers
Calcium channel blockers
Cholesterol-lowering medications
Digitalis preparations
Diuretics
Vasodilators

If you have a condition like coronary artery disease, balloon angioplasty or atherectomy might be necessary to open up the narrowed arteries. These are minimally invasive cardiac catheterization procedures.

The Cardiology Specialists of Orange County's Santa Ana office also offers external counterpulsation (ECP) therapy for patients with chronic stable angina but can’t undergo other interventions.

Find out your options for relieving chest pain by calling Cardiology Specialists of Orange County or book an appointment online today.