Diagnosis and Treatment Plan
In the present scenario, the patient presents with symptoms similar to those of acute myocardial infarction AMI. It therefore follows that the primary diagnosis in this case, on the strength of the said symptoms and following further assessment, would be AMI. In basic terms, AMI is occasioned by tissue damage as a consequence of the abrupt cut-off of blood flow to the heart. Some of the key symptoms associated with AMI include, but they are not limited to “chest pain, which travels from left arm to neck, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, vomiting, abnormal heart beating, anxiety, fatigue, weakness, stress, depression, and other factors” (Lu, Sun, Zheng, and Zhang, 2015, p. 866). In the case presented, the patient presents with shortness of breath and midsternal chest pain.
In seeking to confirm the primary diagnosis, some of the tests that would come in handy are an ECG and blood tests. In the present scenario, the patient’s ECG reveals anterior lateral ischemic changes. A blood test would in this case also help in the detection of troponin or other proteins indicative of heart damage.
In the case presented, it would be prudent to find out whether the patient is obese, has family history of heart attack, or smokes. This is more so the case given that these are some the risk factors of AMI. Age is yet another risk factor. According to Hajar (2017), one of the major risk factors in as far as coronary heart disease is concerned is age (the older one gets, the higher the risk). Coronary heart disease can in some instances result in a heart attack.
The relevance of quick treatment cannot be overstated in this case. The restoration of the flow of blood would be the very first step. To reduce blood clotting and thus ensure that blood flow is maintained, aspirin would come in handy. Other drug considerations going forward would be antiplatelet agents and thrombolytics. To relieve the chest pain that the patient has and slow his heartbeat, nitroglycerin and beta blockers would be prescribed, respectively. In the final analysis, the differential diagnosis in this case would be pneumonia and stable angina.
References
Hajar, R. (2017). Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease: Historical Perspectives. Heart Views, 18(3), 109-114.
Lu, L., Sun, R., Zheng, Y. & Zhang, P. (2015). Myocardial Infarction: Symptoms and Treatments. Cell Biochem Biophys, 72(3), 865-867.
