At MUSC’s nationally accredited chest pain center, patients are fast-tracked for immediate care, offering the best chances for survival. With world-class cardiovascular specialists and the most advanced technology in the state, the MUSC Chest Pain Center puts time — and unmatched expertise — on your side.

Each patient is met at the door by a highly qualified clinician who immediately assesses the complaint. Once the problem is identified as chest pain, the patient is evaluated by a physician and undergoes some quick tests, including an electrocardiogram and a blood test to confirm that a heart attack is underway. If a heart attack is identified, the patient is taken to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for an angiogram. Then the problem is immediately treated.

When chest pain does not indicate a heart attack, our advanced training and cutting-edge technology, such as the dual source CT scanner, allow us to quickly diagnose other serious conditions that many other facilities are unable to identify.

Time is crucial during a heart attack. Once an artery supplying blood to the heart is blocked during a heart attack, the heart muscle starts to die. The damage is done within the first few hours. That means that the sooner we can open the artery, the greater the chance that the patient can return to being completely normal. A delay in the opening the artery results in more damage to the heart, which leads to more heart problems.

At least half of patients who suffer heart attacks have had warning signs in the previous two weeks. It’s vital to respond to these symptoms by seeking medical care in order to avoid the heart attack.

Symptoms include feeling of constriction, pressure, burning or pain in the chest. Often patients confuse heart attack warning signs to heart burn or otherwise rationalize not taking action. Besides heart attack, other serious problems that cause chest pain are blood clots to the lungs and damage of the major blood vessels supplying blood to the body.