Chest Pain
What causes chest pain in children? Chest pain is a common symptom in adolescents and accounts for about 10% of A&E visits. Most children with chest pain do not have any serious heart disease. Common cause of the chest pain is Musculo-skeletal (costochondritis and precordial catch). Less commonly pain can be secondary to persistent coughing (asthma, bronchitis) or referred from the abdomen
What it is
New-onset chest pain always warrants explanation, not reassurance alone. Our cardiology team takes a structured history, examines you, and runs a same-visit 12-lead ECG. Where indicated, echocardiogram, exercise tolerance test, 24-hour Holter or ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, CT coronary angiography and high-sensitivity troponin can all be arranged within 7–14 days through our partner imaging centres.
Symptoms and signs
- Central crushing or tight chest pain, particularly on exertion, with radiation to jaw, arm or back.
- Sharp, well-localised chest pain worse on breathing or movement (musculoskeletal or pleuritic).
- Burning chest pain after meals, worse lying down (gastro-oesophageal reflux).
- Episodic palpitations with chest discomfort.
- Chest pain at rest with shortness of breath, nausea or sweating — this is a 999 call, not a private appointment.
How we investigate
Same-visit 12-lead ECG and clinical examination by your consultant. Onward investigations selected from: high-sensitivity troponin, echocardiogram, exercise tolerance test, 24-hour Holter monitor, ambulatory blood pressure, CT coronary calcium score, CT coronary angiography. All results interpreted and discussed by your consultant.
Treatment options at The Vesey
- Structured cardiovascular risk stratification — Q-Risk, lipid profile, HbA1c, blood pressure and lifestyle review.
- Reassurance with documented evidence — most patients we see do not have heart disease, and a normal workup is itself a clinically important outcome.
- Medical management of stable angina — antiplatelet, statin, beta-blocker or calcium channel blocker, with regular consultant review.
- Onward referral for revascularisation — direct consultant-to-consultant transfer to interventional cardiology where the workup identifies significant disease.
- Non-cardiac cause pathway — onward signposting to gastroenterology, respiratory, MSK or pain medicine where appropriate.
Book an appointment
When to see a specialist
Book a private cardiology consultation if you have had unexplained chest pain for more than 48 hours, recurrent chest pain on exertion, a strong family history of premature heart disease, or you have been told "it's probably not your heart" without a structured workup. If you are having central chest pain at rest now, call 999.
Cost and pathway
Initial consultant cardiology consultation £290 (includes resting 12-lead ECG). Echocardiogram from £320. 24-hour Holter monitor from £290. CT coronary calcium score from £450. Self-pay and insurance accepted (BUPA, Vitality, AXA, WPA, Cigna, Aviva, Healix).
- Open 7 days including Sundays — 8am to 8pm, no weekend surcharge
- No GP referral required — book directly with our consultant cardiology team
- Sutton Coldfield location — serving Birmingham, Walsall, Tamworth, Lichfield and the West Midlands
- CQC-regulated — rated 4.87/5 on Doctify from 350+ verified reviews
View our cardiology services →
Sutton Coldfield · Birmingham · Walsall · Tamworth · Lichfield · West Midlands · Open 7 days 8am–8pm
Open 7 days · 8am–8pm · 0121 387 3727