Category: Case Studies
A summer misadventure; patient safety issues during vacations because of the overconfidence of the patient
A 49 y/o drenched male with DM1 of 22 years duration was brought to the emergency department by his wife, who was also drenched. She saw him fall out of his 14 foot boat, into the water when he stood up to land a fish he caught. Johnny’s glucose level was 122 mg% when he […]
Targeting LDL-C treatment: The good, the bad, and the rated X
Introduction by Richard Hellman, MD, FACP, FACE In this excellent case study, the authors show the importance of looking deeper than just the lipid numbers initially returned from the laboratory. This case highlights the pitfalls for the unwary physician who fails to use all the available clinical information when making a decision as to what […]
Too Much of a Good Thing: Thyroid Cancer Suppressive Therapy and Atrial Fibrillation
The Case A 63-year-old man with a distant history of thyroid cancer presented to the emergency department with complaints of chest pain, palpitations and shortness of breath. He had been losing weight over the last year, which he attributed to chemotherapy for prostate cancer, diet and exercise. He was admitted to the coronary care unit […]
Post Operative Hypernatremia: A Simple but Dangerous Oversight
The Case The patient is a 63-year-old Caucasian female with a history of central diabetes insipidus following resection of a nonfunctioning pituitary macroadenoma. The patient had been stable with normal electrolyte and fluid balance taking desmopressin 0.2 mg orally twice a day. She presented with complaints of abdominal pain; subsequent evaluation disclosed cholelithiasis. The patient […]