A patient comes to the emergency department following an epi…
A patient comes to the emergency department following an episode of unexpected syncope. In order to determine the potential cause, which of the following could contribute valuable information?1. A sensation of an irregular heartbeat or history of cardiac arrhythmias2. The medications taken3. The activities at the time of the episode4. The time of day the syncope occurs
Read DetailsYou are a respiratory therapist working in a pediatrician’s…
You are a respiratory therapist working in a pediatrician’s office. You see a 16-year-old girl who presents with two chief complaints but otherwise appears to be healthy. The complaints are (1) extremely heavy menstrual bleeding and (2) severe dyspnea following relatively mild exercise. The dyspnea has been getting progressively worse over the past 3 months. Which of the following laboratory studies would you suggest to the physician in order to determine the cause of the dyspnea?
Read DetailsA patient who appears emaciated presents to the emergency de…
A patient who appears emaciated presents to the emergency department with a history of low-grade, intermittent, afternoon fevers; frequent, paroxysmal bouts of coughing; hemoptysis; and night sweats. The following should be considered as part of the differential diagnosis (a list of possible disease states that could account for the observed signs and symptoms):1. Tuberculosis.2. Pneumonia.3. Some types of cancers.4. Pleuritic chest pain.
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