Cardiac chest pain is classically described as a crushing, substernal chest pain, like "someone sitting on my chest, doctor," with radiation to the L arm, neck or jaw, and associated with nausea, diaphoresis, and SOB. Both STEMI and Non-STEMI myocardial infarctions involve necrosis of myocardium and elevate serum troponin levels.

STEMI is usually described by ST elevated involving 2 contiguous EKG leads and is often caused by complete occlusion of a coronary vessel causing full-thickness or transmural infarction. It is often treated by immediate reperfusion attempts, such as thrombolytics or angioplasty. NonSTEMI's have partial occlusion of a coronary vessel with subsequent subendocardial or partial thickness myocardial injury and are associated classically with ST depression and T wave inversions on EKG, but also may appear relatively normal. These patients are often risk stratified.