Also known as: Schizophrenia with mood disorder features
17-year-old male experiencing severe psychotic episode with paranoid delusions, believing people are trying to steal his DNA and clone him. He ran naked into traffic and became fixated on a billboard, convinced the person was part of a conspiracy. Treatment involves establishing trust and initiating antipsychotic medication.
Also known as: Tear in the aorta
David's father collapsed in the ED waiting room with an aortic dissection near his heart, mimicking a heart attack. Required emergency open heart surgery to repair the tear.
Also known as: Spinal fractures
50-year-old dialysis patient with two severe lumbar burst fractures from a minor fall, complicated by severe bone loss from end-stage renal disease. Required spinal stabilization surgery complicated by low platelet count and underlying ITP.
Also known as: ITP
Previously undiagnosed blood disorder causing chronically low platelets in Marcus, complicating his spinal surgery. Treated with steroids to temporarily boost platelet count for surgery.
Also known as: Kidney failure
Marcus is on dialysis for end-stage renal disease, which significantly accelerated his bone loss and contributed to his severe fractures from a minor fall.
Also known as: Infected abscess on buttocks
Pus-filled abscess under pressure on Marcus's buttocks was the source of his severe pain and bleeding after his fall, requiring emergency drainage in the ED.
Also known as: MRSA
MRSA infection from an ingrown toenail that rapidly progressed despite source control. Patient had severe vancomycin allergy requiring desensitization protocol to prevent spread to bone and potential amputation.
Also known as: Drug withdrawal
Pregnant woman who went cold turkey off opioids six days prior, presenting with severe withdrawal symptoms she attributed to a stomach bug. Her hypovolemia from prolonged vomiting and diarrhea caused hypotension and syncope.
Also known as: Heroin addiction
Pregnant patient with opioid use disorder who used during her first trimester and is now attempting to quit cold turkey out of fear of child protective services involvement.