This is the second case in a series looking at critical care medicine. A 57-year-old female with history of thymoma and myasthenia gravis is currently admitted to a general medical ward for pneumonia develops respiratory distress 48 hours after admission. A respiratory therapist (RT) was paged to assess the patient and then called you urgently because the patient appears unwell.
Tag: ward decompensation
Nightmares Case 2: Pneumonia
In this case, the patient has been admitted for pneumonia and treated with the usual antibiotics. However, the team has not yet recognized that the causative bacteria is resistant to this antibiotic. The pneumonia has progressed and the team must manage the patient's respiratory distress and sepsis. The patient requires a change in antibiotics, non-invasive ventilatory support and IV fluid resuscitation.
Acute Respiratory Distress
A 78 year old woman post-op from a TAH+ BSO for ovarian CA has just been transferred to the ward when she develops acute shortness of breath. When the resident arrives, the patient is in significant respiratory distress saturating 80% on RA. Oxygen and medical therapy will not adequately relieve the patient’s distress. The resident will need to recognize that the patient has a Grade 3-4 LV and received 2L of fluid intra-operatively. When BiPAP is called for, it will be unavailable. Ultimately, the patient will require intubation.
EM Sim Cases 