Dissecting the Medical Student Approach to Chest Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study Focusing on Aortic Dissection.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To understand if medical students consider rarer, but highly fatal conditions, such as acute aortic dissection, when assessing chest pain.

METHODS

An online virtual clinical case (in two 'stages') was distributed to medical students. Stage one presented a chest pain scenario, asking participants to give relevant questions, clinical findings, investigations, and differential diagnoses. In the second stage, students were given a detailed case, populated with the aortic dissection 'red flags' and asked to re-evaluate their differential diagnosis and investigations. A total of 113 students in their final two years of study, across six United Kingdom (UK) medical schools, were accepted into the study.

RESULTS

During stage one, students were able to assess chest pain with radiation (93%), character (83%), and onset (89%), which were asked commonly. However, students failed to enquire on severity (38%) and important risk factors such as connective tissue disorders (4%) and hypertension (46%), or clinical signs such as blood pressure differences (5%). Myocardial infarction (97%) and pulmonary embolism (78%) were the most considered differentials with acute aortic dissection only considered by 31%. However, in stage two, 73% recognised the acute aortic dissection and 76% were able to request a CT thorax.

CONCLUSIONS

Students effectively consider myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism when assessing chest pain, but often fail to examine acute aortic dissection. This could lead to delayed treatment of a cataclysmic event and may be due to a deficiency in diagnostic synthesis rather than a lack of knowledge. More can be done to ensure these conditions form part of their diagnostic workup.