About this topic
Chest pain is felt in the upper part of your childs body from their neck to their belly. Your child may feel pain, pressure, or tightness. Most often, the cause of the pain comes from the bones, muscles, tendons, and nerves in the chest. The pain may also be caused by something outside of the chest, like your child's stomach. Other times, the chest pain may be caused by stress or worry. Sometimes it is also caused by a problem with the heart or lungs. The chest pain may be caused by a serious health problem or by something not as serious. ‚
Treatment will depend on what is causing your child's chest pain. ‚
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child.
- Help your child get lots of rest. Ask your doctor how much activity and rest your child needs.
- You doctor may give your child drugs for pain. Make sure to give your child the drugs ordered by the doctor.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your childs progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- The doctor will tell you if your child needs to see a specialist like a heart doctor or cardiologist.
What drugs may be needed?
If chest pain is caused by a heart-related problem, the doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Thin the blood
- Dissolve a blood clot
- Lower the work of the heart
- Increase blood flow to the heart muscle
- Relax the heart and help avoid spasms in the arteries
If chest pain is caused by something other than your heart, the doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Treat stomach problems
- Help with breathing
- Help your child relax
- Control coughing
Will physical activity be limited?
Your child may need to be less active at first, and then slowly return to normal levels. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for your child. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Heart attack
- Other heart problems like abnormal heart beat that is too fast or too slow
- Blood clot in the lungs
- Death
When do I need to call the doctor?
Activate the emergency medical system right away if your child has signs of a heart attack. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your childs chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if your child has signs of heart attack like: ‚
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my childs condition.
- I can tell you when my child can go back to their normal activities.
- I can tell you what I would do if my child had signs of a heart attack.
Last Reviewed Date
2015-11-02 ‚
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Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚