Cardiac Chest Pain
If a patient appears to have Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) call 999 immediately for an emergency ambulance and arrange a medical admission. Do not bring the patient to an urgent treatment centre as we do not have ECG machines at our bases.
Further information on when to suspect ACS here.
NICE CKS has further guidance on chest pain management.
Confirmed STEMI (ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction)
- All confirmed STEMIs will automatically be diverted to Bristol Heart Institute by ambulance crew.
NSTEMI (non-ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction) or Unstable Angina
- These patients should be referred to the medical take (BRI, Southmead or WGH)
- Arranging a medical admission helps streamline the patients route through the hospital. Details on how to do this here.
Non urgent cardiac chest pain
- Patients who do no need acute admission but give a history of recent onset chest pain that may have a cardiac cause can be referred to the Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic (RACPC). Patients with suspected ACS should not be referred to the RACPC.
- Information on access to RACPCs for NBT, UHB and WGH here.