A 50-year-old man presents to the emergency department with crushing chest pain, shortness of breath, and profuse sweating. His ECG shows ST-segment elevation in the anterior leads. What are the potential causes and next steps?
This patient's symptoms along with the ECG changes suggest an anterior wall ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a life-threatening condition. Immediate management includes administration of aspirin, sublingual nitroglycerin, oxygen if hypoxic, and initiation of reperfusion strategy, either through thrombolytic therapy or emergent cardiac catheterization.