Arterial Line Insertion

Arterial Line Insertion

A doctor currently working in the intensive care unit has been asked to insert an arterial line into a patient that has just been reviewed on the ward round. 1. What are the main indications for inserting an arterial line? Show Answer The two main indications for the...
A 73-Year-Old Man with Lumps on His Neck

A 73-Year-Old Man with Lumps on His Neck

A 73-year-old man presents complaining of lumps on his neck. On examination, you note the presence of several large, non-tender cervical lymph nodes. You organise for some blood tests to be performed, and the results show that he has a lymphocytosis of 16 x 109/l....
A 59-Year-Old Man with a Headache

A 59-Year-Old Man with a Headache

A 59-year-old gentleman presents to the Emergency Department complaining of a headache. He has had similar headaches over the last few weeks and also some blurring of his vision. His initial observations are as follows: HR 92 bpm, BP 210/132 mmHg, SaO2 99% on air, BM...
A Patient with a Suspected Pulmonary Embolus

A Patient with a Suspected Pulmonary Embolus

A 52-year-old man presents to the emergency department with chest pain. He has recently returned from Australia and has a history of a painful swollen right calf over the last couple of days. He is otherwise usually fit and well and has no known allergies. You suspect...
A 40-Year-Old Man with a Dry Cough and a Fever

A 40-Year-Old Man with a Dry Cough and a Fever

A 40-year-old man presents with a dry cough and a fever for the past few days. His cough is non-productive. Today he has also had several episodes of diarrhoea and has developed bilateral pleuritic chest pain. He states that he is short of breath, most notably on...
Chickenpox Exposure in Pregnancy

Chickenpox Exposure in Pregnancy

You review a 31-year-old patient who is 14 weeks pregnant. She is worried as she was exposed to chickenpox two days ago. She cannot remember whether she has had chickenpox as a child. 1. If the mother were to contract chickenpox, what would the principal risk to the...