Severe Chest Pain Following Blunt Thoracic Trauma

Severe Chest Pain Following Blunt Thoracic Trauma

Sep 1, 2016 | 0 comments

A 37-year-old man is involved in a high-speed motor vehicle collision. He was not wearing a seat belt and struck his chest on the steering wheel. He has presented complaining of severe central chest pain and breathlessness. You are the trauma call team leader. His...
‘Ripping’ Chest Pain in a 38-Year-Old Man

‘Ripping’ Chest Pain in a 38-Year-Old Man

Apr 1, 2016 | 2 comments

A 38-year-old man with Marfan syndrome presents with sudden severe chest pain that radiates through to his back. He describes the pain as being sharp and ‘ripping’ in nature. He smokes 25 cigarettes per day. He is sweaty, nauseated and appears pallid. On examination...
A 60-Year-Old with Abdominal Pain

A 60-Year-Old with Abdominal Pain

Feb 1, 2016 | 3 comments

A 60-year-old woman presents with a one-week history of abdominal pain, nausea and reduced frequency of bowel motions. Her observations are as follows: HR 97, BP 113/76, RR 19, SaO2 98% on air. On examination she has right upper quadrant tenderness. Her chest X-ray is...
The Strange Case of the ‘Octopus Pot’ Heart

The Strange Case of the ‘Octopus Pot’ Heart

Jan 1, 2016 | 2 comments

A 53-year-old woman presents with severe central crushing chest pain that radiates to her left arm. She has been under a significant amount of stress recently following the unexpected death of her husband. Her ECG is shown below: She is taken to the cath lab for a...
An 18-Month-Old with Stridor

An 18-Month-Old with Stridor

Dec 1, 2015 | 3 comments

A mother brings in her 18-month-old to the Emergency Department with breathing difficulties. The boy was seen earlier that week with a possible mild allergic reaction following eating a cake, but at that time his symptoms settled rapidly following administration of...