Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 12, 2026
06:28
E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
9.3K
A young breathless patient
Adam Williamson1, Dan Beckett2, Nik Arestis3
1MRCP MBChB, ST4 in Acute and General Medicine, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, West of Scotland Deanery.
Acute Medicine
|March 29, 2018
Summary
A 34-year-old man with osteoarthritis developed sudden breathlessness after returning from the US. His symptoms suggest a potential serious condition requiring urgent medical evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Disease
Background:
- A 34-year-old gentleman with a history of osteoarthritis.
- Recent travel to the United States.
Observation:
- Presented with a short history of breathlessness.
- Complained of myalgia, sore throat, non-productive cough, anorexia, and fevers post-travel.
- Developed acute dyspnea with central anterior chest discomfort, worse when supine.
Findings:
- The patient's constellation of symptoms following international travel raises concern for infectious etiologies.
- Sudden onset dyspnea and chest discomfort warrant investigation for pulmonary embolism or other acute cardiopulmonary events.
Implications:
- Prompt diagnosis and management are crucial for potentially life-threatening conditions.
- Consideration of travel-related illnesses and acute respiratory distress in differential diagnosis.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Patient-centered Care
3.1K
Patient-centered care involves delivering care beyond inpatient hospitalization. Reflective practice can enhance a patient-centered approach. Reflective practice is a process of reasoning that considers all aspects of the present situation, including practicalities, learning from personal practice, and consideration of patient needs. Patients appreciate care decisions made while considering their input. Involving the patient in their care provides the patient with a sense of contribution rather...
3.1K
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
278
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
278
01:21Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
269
In the United States, obesity is a prominent concern. It is linked to heightened mortality rates due to increased occurrences of conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and diabetes compared to nonobese individuals. A patient is classified as obese if their actual body weight surpasses the ideal or desirable body weight by 20%, based on Metropolitan Life Insurance Company data. Ideal body weights consider average weights and heights for males and females...
269
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
241
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
241
01:26Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion
277
In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
277
01:17Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution
334
Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight,...
334