Question: I'm an RN MSN with 40 years experience 20 years in ICU and CCU and 20 years in teaching nursing education. My question: My sister who is 53, 5 days ago had an event that took her to the ER. Chest pressure with shortness of breath, pain and numbness of her left arm and jaw. BP 190/110 HR60 NSR. Troponins were zero but Chest Xray showed some hyperinflation of lung and a smaller that normal heart image with some flattening of the diaphragm. She spent overnight in the ER in the AM was released after a normal exercise stress test. She returned to the ER with chest pressure persisting the following day when I urged her to go.
Later, She reported to me 2012 she had an episode of SOB after running to 2nd base on a double hit (she is an athelete now and in the past, won awards Hall of Fame in HS and College) and had pulmonary testing that revealed 120% lung inflation with 60% exchange?
If this is a pulmonary or cardiac restrictive disease what are the next tests to get a diagnosis and treatment?
(possibly due to air pollution in LA or family history of HTN,MI, both mom and dad and a young cousin 28 who died of cardiomyopathy years ago another who died of asthma at about the same age)