Common Conditions and their Presentations

A patient presenting with jaundiced (yellow) skin, weakness, fatigue, fever, and weight loss likely has ____.

Hepatitis

A patient present with flu-like symptoms, nausea, vomiting, nuchal rigidity (stiff neck), photophobia (sensitivity to light), phonophobia (sensitivity to sound), fever, chills, and rash likely has ____.

Meningitis

A patient presenting with respiratory distress, productive cough, and bloody sputum likely has ____.

Tuberculosis

A patient presenting with raccoon eyes (bilateral black eyes), battle signs (bruising behind the ears), and blood/CSF draining from the nose and ears likely has ____.

Basilar skull fracture

A patient presenting with absent breath sounds on one side, jugular vein distention (JVD), tracheal deviation, narrowing pulse pressure, tachycardia, unequal chest rise and fall, subcutaneous emphysema, and progressively worsening shortness of breath likely has ____.

Tension pneumothorax

A patient presenting with rales/crackles in the lungs (particularly at the bases) likely has ____.

Pulmonary edema

A patient presenting with wheezing likely has ____ or ____.

Asthma; COPD

A patient presenting with rhonchi likely has ____, ____, or ____.

Bronchitis; pneumonia; cystic fibrosis

A patient presenting with stridor likely has ____.

Upper airway obstruction

A patient presenting with anxiety, agitation, and/or restlessness; delayed capillary refill; a thready (rapid and weak) pulse; tachypnea; dilated pupils; nausea and vomiting; thirst; and pale, cool, and diaphoretic skin likely has ____.

Hypovolemic shock

A patient presenting with anxiety, agitation, and/or restlessness; delayed capillary refill; a thready (rapid and weak) pulse; tachypnea; dilated pupils; nausea and vomiting; thirst; and hot, flushed, and diaphoretic skin likely has ____.

Septic shock

A patient presenting with bruising, pain on palpation, or distention likely has ____.

Internal bleeding

A patient presenting with diminished breath sounds likely has a ____.

Pneumothorax

A patient presenting with paradoxical breathing likely has ____, which is associated with ____, ____, and ____.

Flail chest; underlying organ damage; massive internal bleeding; pneumothorax/tension pneumothorax

A patient presenting with hypotension; deteriorating level of consciousness; labored, irregular breathing; ashen, mottled, and/or cyanotic skin; thready or absent pulse; dull eyes with dilated pupils; and poor urinary output likely is undergoing ____.

Decompensated shock

A patient presenting with warm, dry, and flushed skin below the site of injury is likely undergoing ____.

Neurogenic shock

A patient presenting with dyspnea, wheezing, flushed skin, and hives/uticaria is likely undergoing ____.

Anaphylactic shock

A patient presenting with syncope is likely undergoing ____.

Psychogenic shock

A patient presenting with a weak, irregular pulse; cyanosis; anxiety; and nausea is likely undergoing ____.

Cardiogenic shock

A patient presenting with dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, and pink and frothy sputum likely has a ____.

Pulmonary embolism

A patient presenting with jugular vein distention, muffled heart sounds, and narrowing pulse pressure likely has ____.

Cardiac/pericardial tamponade

A patient presenting with pain, deformity, guarding, swelling, bruising, crepitus, false motion, exposed fragments, and locked joints likely has a ____.

Fracture

A patient presenting with deformity, swelling, pain, loss of motion, and numbness or impaired circulation likely has a ____.

Dislocation

A patient presenting with an absent distal pulse, pain, and loss of distal CMS likely has ____.

Compartment syndrome

A patient presenting with a headache, nausea and vomiting, decreased alertness, sluggish or non-reactive pupils, decerebrate posturing, hypertension with widening pulse pressure, bradycardia, and abnormal respirations (like Cheyne-Stokes or ataxic respirations) likely has ____, which is associated with ____.

Rising intracranial pressure; cerebral contusion

A patient presenting with confusion, dizziness, weakness, nausea and vomiting, amnesia, slurred speech, and a brief alteration in level of consciousness followed by complete recovery likely has a ____.

Concussion

A patient presenting with an altered level of consciousness, lucid intervals, and one pupil that is fixed and dilated likely has an ____.

Epidural hematoma

A patient presenting with fluctuating level of consciousness and slurred speech likely has a ____.

Subdural hematoma

A patient presenting with a sudden, severe headache and nuchal rigidity (stiff neck) likely has a ____.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage