Presenting With Abdominal Pain… June 23, 2011
Posted by ebmedicine in Renal & Genitourinary.18 comments
Your last patient of the day is a 57-year-old woman complaining of 4 hours of abdominal pain. She has a history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Her medications include an antihypertensive and her “high cholesterol pill.” She is noted to be restless and in mild distress with tachycardia, which you attribute to pain. Her abdomen is diffusely tender, and she has a moderate amount of blood on her urine dip. You order labs and a KUB followed by an ultrasound to rule out a kidney stone. She is medicated with morphine and is signed out to a colleague with the plan to control her pain and check her studies. When you follow up on her outcome the next morning, you are reminded that the last patient of the day does not always get the best assessment…
What Was Her Likely Outcome?
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