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By Mayo Clinic staffAcute coronary syndrome is often diagnosed in emergency situations, and your doctor will perform a number of tests to figure out the cause of your symptoms. Your doctor will talk to you throughout the process and tell you what tests are being performed.
If you're having chest pain regularly, tell your doctor about it. Your doctor will probably order several tests to figure out the cause of your chest pain. These tests may include a blood draw to check your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. If you need these tests, you'll need to fast for at least eight hours to get the most accurate results. Your doctor will tell you if you need to fast before having these tests.
Your doctor may also want to perform imaging tests to check for blockages in your heart and the blood vessels leading to it.
- Kumar A, et al. Acute coronary syndromes: Diagnosis and management, part I. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2009;84:917.
- Acute coronary syndromes. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec07/ch073/ch073c.html. Accessed Sept. 3, 2010.
- What is angina? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Angina/Angina_All.html. Accessed Sept. 3, 2010.
- Risk factors and coronary heart disease. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/print_presenter.jhtml?identifier=4726. Accessed Sept. 7, 2010.
- Scirica BM. Acute coronary syndrome: Emerging tools for diagnosis and risk assessment. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2010;55:1403.
- Lifestyle changes. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/PreventionTreatmentofHeartAttack/Lifestyle-Changes_UCM_303934_Article.jsp. Accessed Sept. 7, 2010.
- Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 22, 2010.
- Anderson CF (expert opinion) Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 8, 2010.
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