[Medico-legal assessment of medical management in "chest pain" cases based on the review of cases analyzed in the Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, in the years 2000-2006].

Among all investigations aiming at assessing medical management carried out in our department between 2000 and 2006, the cases of "chest pain" constituted the largest percentage. In 70% of such cases, the employed medical procedures were found to be incorrect; what might be qualified as medical decisive errors, committed in rescue ambulances, outpatient clinics or in admission rooms. The authors present some examples of causes of such incorrect management strategies, such as neglecting proper and profound clinical examination (with medical history taking); lack or incomplete differential diagnosis; failure to observe appropriate critical attitude and prudence; focusing only on one, most common disease.