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Center for Chest Pain - Joplin, Missouri

As a recognized top 100 heart hospital, St. John’s has performed more than 53 thousand cardiovascular surgical procedures and cardiac interventions, including 75 hundred open heart procedures. The latest refinements in cath lab technology are constantly being introduced at St. John’ s three fully equipped laboratories. We have the area’s first Electrophysiology lab with dedicated equipment for diagnosing and treating arrythmia and the Four State area’s first dedicated Peripheral Vascular Laboratory. Our treatments extend beyond the hospital room with extensive cardiac chest pain, cardiac rehabilitation, heart disease and heart attack prevention programs and our Mended Hearts Support Group. Also visit our Chest Pain Observation Unit page.

Chest pain is discomfort or pain that you feel anywhere along the front of your body between your neck and upper abdomen.

Many people with chest pain fear a heart attack. However, there are many possible causes of chest pain. Some causes are mildly inconvenient, while other causes are serious, even life-threatening. Any organ or tissue in your chest can be the source of pain, including your heart, lungs, esophagus, muscles, ribs, tendons, or nerves.

Angina is a type of heart-related chest pain. This pain occurs because your heart is not getting enough blood and oxygen. Angina pain can be similar to the pain of a heart attack.

Common Causes

Other causes of chest pain include:

Asthma, which is generally accompanied by shortness of breath, wheezing, or cough.
Pneumonia, a blood clot to the lung (pulmonary embolism), the collapse of a small area of a lung (pneumothorax), or inflammation of the lining around the lung (pleurisy). In these cases, the chest pain often worsens when you take a deep breath or cough and usually feels sharp.
Strain or inflammation of the muscles and tendons between the ribs.
Anxiety and rapid breathing.

Chest pain can also be related to problems with your digestive system. These include stomach ulcer, gallbladder disease, gallstones, indigestion, heartburn, or gastroesophageal reflux (when acid from your stomach backs up into your esophagus).

Ulcer pain burns if your stomach is empty and feels better with food. Gallbladder pain often gets worse after a meal, especially a fatty meal.

In children, most chest pain is not caused by the heart.