The 5 most important factors at predicting the presence of ACS in a patient presenting with chest pain (in order of importance): 1. nature of anginal symptoms (i.e. the HPI) 2. prior history of CAD 3. male gender 4. older age 5. increasing number of traditional risk factors
Notice this means that the MOST important factor is the HPI...the OLDCAAAR. If the patient has a concerning HPI, NEVER drop your concerns just because the patient is young or has minimal other risk factors.
