A patient diagnosed with polycythemia vera presents to the Emergency Department with plethora and neurological changes. The student asks the healthcare professional to explain the primary cause of these symptoms. What response by the professional is best?
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Alveolar Dead Space is the volume of air in the respiratory…
Alveolar Dead Space is the volume of air in the respiratory zone that does not take part in gas exchange
A 33-year-old woman presents to the office a day after suffe…
A 33-year-old woman presents to the office a day after suffering a burn to her left forearm while cooking. Her injury is limited to her anterior forearm, is painful, appears erythematous and dry, blanches with pressure, and is not blistering. There appears to be no injury to the underlying dermal or subcutaneous tissue. Which of the following is the best treatment option for this patient?
Which of the following is true regarding the epidemiology of…
Which of the following is true regarding the epidemiology of Kawasaki disease?
A common cause of postrenal acute kidney injury includes nep…
A common cause of postrenal acute kidney injury includes nephrotoxic substances or medications.
When comparing the clinical manifestations of both diabetic…
When comparing the clinical manifestations of both diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome (HHNKS), which condition is associated with only DKA?
A 47 year old male comes in to the clinic for a workup for a…
A 47 year old male comes in to the clinic for a workup for an adrenocortical carcinoma. He has two elevated pressures after you follow the protocol of two separate readings at least 2 minutes apart, with the patient seated, the arm supported at heart level, after 5 minutes rest, with no smoking or caffeine intake for 30 minutes. His BP readings are the following:160/94, and 166/98. The patient:
A 52-year black male presents for a routine health screen. R…
A 52-year black male presents for a routine health screen. Recently, he has been making attempts to lose weight and eat healthier, but has noticed his blood pressure being elevated at the gym. Your records show that he was seen two weeks ago at your affiliated urgent care site and had a blood pressure reading of 144/88. Today in the office you measure a blood pressure of 150/100. His physical exam findings are unremarkable, he has no additional complaints, and he takes no medications. Recent blood work is also negative for any evidence of diabetes or kidney disease. Which of the following is the next best step in management?
Secondary hypertension is rapidly progressive hypertension i…
Secondary hypertension is rapidly progressive hypertension in which diastolic pressure is usually greater than 140 mmHg.
A 79 year-old male with history of hypertension, benign pros…
A 79 year-old male with history of hypertension, benign prostatic hypertrophy, and normal renal function presents to the emergency department with symptoms of fever and generalized weakness that has been ongoing for the past two days. His family notes that he has not been eating as much today and fell when trying to stand up from his chair. He also seems sleepier than usual today. On review of symptoms, the patient denied any symptoms other than stating “I just don’t feel well”. Pertinent physical exam findings include the following: ill appearing diaphoretic elderly gentleman, tachycardia, tachypnea, slight discomfort to palpation of suprapubic region, and mottling of the skin of his extremities. His vitals are as follows: Heart rate: 135 beats/minute, Respiratory rate: 25 breaths/minute, Blood pressure: 72/45 mm Hg, pOx: 91% on room air, and temperature of 38.5C. Labs are sent and chest X-ray is done with the following results: WBC 24.1 Normal: 4.0-10.5 x103/uL Hb 10.2 Normal: 14-16 g/dL HCT 31% Normal: 42-48% PLT 490 Normal: 150-450 x 103/uL Bands. 12% Normal: 0-5 Sodium 144 Normal: 135 – 145 mmol/L Potassium 3.1 Normal: 3.5-5.0 mmol/L Chloride 106 Normal: 96-106 mmol/L CO2 18 Normal: 23-29 mmol/L BUN 44 Normal: 6-20 mg/dL Creatinine 2.1 Normal: 0.8-1.2 mg/dL Glucose 61 Normal: 64-100 mg/dL eGFR 49 Normal: >60 mL/min Lactate 4.5 Normal: 0-2.0 mmol/L Urinalysis shows >30 wbcs, 4+ bacteria, and positive nitrates. Portable chest xray shows slight blunting of costophrenic angles with no evidence of infiltrates or consolidations. At what point would it be appropriate to initiate pressor support with norepinephrine for this patient?