Patient Assessment and Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real FACEM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment and Evaluation flashcards as text
A 25-year-old male presents after a syncopal episode during exercise. ECG shows ST elevation in V1-V2 with a right bundle branch block pattern and normal coronary arteries on previous workup. Which diagnosis is suggested?
Answer: Brugada syndrome
Brugada syndrome presents with a Type 1 ECG pattern of coved ST elevation in V1-V2 with RBBB morphology and is associated with sudden cardiac death.
When assessing a patient with suspected acute coronary syndrome, which ECG finding indicates the highest immediate risk requiring emergent intervention?
Answer: New left bundle branch block
New LBBB in the context of acute chest pain is treated as a STEMI equivalent per current guidelines, requiring emergent reperfusion therapy.
During assessment of a patient with suspected stroke, the NIHSS is used. Which domain is NOT assessed by the NIHSS?
Answer: Memory recall
The NIHSS does not include formal memory testing; it assesses consciousness, gaze, visual fields, facial palsy, motor limb function, ataxia, sensation, language, dysarthria, and extinction.
A 50-year-old male presents with sudden severe eye pain, halos around lights, nausea, and vomiting. Examination reveals a mid-dilated, non-reactive pupil and a hazy cornea. Which condition requires immediate ophthalmologic consultation?
Answer: Acute angle-closure glaucoma
Acute angle-closure glaucoma presents with sudden IOP elevation causing corneal edema, mid-dilated fixed pupil, and severe pain and must be treated urgently to prevent vision loss.
Which component of the ABCDE primary survey approach addresses the identification and control of life-threatening external hemorrhage in current ATLS guidelines?
Answer: Catastrophic hemorrhage control before A
Current ATLS (10th edition) adds a 'C' for Catastrophic hemorrhage control before Airway, recognizing exsanguination as the most immediately survivable cause of death.
A 78-year-old woman is brought in confused and febrile. Urinalysis shows pyuria and bacteriuria. Her daughter insists she has a UTI. What is the most important additional assessment step?
Answer: Perform a thorough assessment to identify alternative causes of confusion
Asymptomatic bacteriuria is common in elderly women and does not explain acute delirium; a comprehensive assessment is required to identify the true cause of altered mental status.
A 35-year-old male presents after recreational MDMA use with temperature 41.2°C, diaphoresis, rigidity, and clonus. Which diagnosis best fits this presentation?
Answer: Serotonin syndrome
Serotonin syndrome from serotonergic agents (including MDMA) presents with the triad of altered mental status, autonomic instability, and neuromuscular abnormalities including clonus.