Levine's sign is a clenched fist held over the chest

Chest

The chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals. It is sometimes referred to as the thorax or the bosom.-Chest anatomy - Humans and other hominids:...

 to describe ischemic chest pain

Chest pain

Chest pain may be a symptom of a number of serious conditions and is generally considered a medical emergency. Even though it may be determined that the pain is non-cardiac in origin, this is often a diagnosis of exclusion made after ruling out more serious causes of the pain.-Differential...

. As the referred pain

Referred pain

Referred pain is pain perceived at a location other than the site of the painful stimulus. An example is the case of ischemia brought on by a myocardial infarction , where pain is often felt in the neck, shoulders, and back rather than in the chest, the site of the injury...

 associated with ischemia radiates to the area of the left proximal forelimb, the right, unaffected arm is used to produce the gesture.

It is named for Dr. Sam Levine

Samuel A. Levine

Samuel Albert Levine was an influential American cardiologist.Levine's sign is named for him.The Samuel A. Levine Cardiac Unit at Brigham and Women's Hospital is named in his honor.-References:...

 who first observed that many patients suffering from chest pain made this same sign to describe their symptoms. This clenched fist signal may be seen in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Acute coronary syndrome

Acute coronary syndrome is usually one of three diseases involving the coronary arteries: ST elevation myocardial infarction , non ST elevation myocardial infarction , or unstable angina ....

 (myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...

 and angina pectoris).