Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of acute coronary syndrome?

The characteristic that is not typically associated with acute coronary syndrome is an increase in blood pressure. Acute coronary syndrome encompasses conditions like unstable angina and myocardial infarction, where the hallmark symptoms include prolonged chest pain, sudden reduced blood flow due to obstruction of coronary arteries, and potentially damage or death of cardiac muscle resulting from that ischemia.

In many cases of acute coronary syndrome, blood pressure may actually decrease due to shock or heart failure. The physiological response to severe chest pain or heart damage can lead to a drop in blood pressure due to various compensatory mechanisms in the body trying to manage the stress response. Thus, while individual responses may vary, an increase in blood pressure is not a reliable characteristic of acute coronary syndrome and can often be misleading in evaluating the condition.