1st patient: Presents with lumps in his groin and neck with unilateral leg swelling : Dx-Malignant Lymphoma and new onset Type 2 DM thrown in for good measure.
2nd patient: Presents with intractable vomiting, jaundice, and altered mental status. Dx- Biliary Carcinoma and renal failure thrown in for good measure.
It was a long shift.
How did you get a DX so quick on that first one? Doesn’t that normally take an inpatient biopsy?
I clicked comments to ask the same re:the second one. Does CT give it away?
Tons of pathologic palpable nodes, abnormal CBC, elevated LDH clinches it for the most part. Still needs a Bx though.
I would start looking for the third one… I remember one shift where we had 2 acute seizure cases come in within 10 minutes of each other. Just as I looked at the intern to say something about a third, the front called back for a third seizure triage. This seems to work with traumas, toxicosis, foreign body ingestion and a multitude of other things.
^ definitely worked for “drunk assholes” last night, hah