The acute care practitioner faces numerous challenges in the approach to the critically ill or injured patient. Clearly, the history of the event is a vital portion of the evaluation, providing the “answer” to the clinical situation in many instances. The physical examination and the results of various diagnostic investigations, however, are also essential components of the medical evaluation. In fact, the examination, the electrocardiogram, and the radiograph provide the clinician with either the diagnosis or important information which will lead to the diagnosis. The rash of erythema multiforme, the electrocardiogram in pronounced hyperkalemia, the radiograph in carpometacarpal dislocation are all presentations where a single “clinical image” provides the diagnosis or a substantial clue to the diagnosis – with appropriate therapy soon to follow. Bedside clinical diagnosis, based upon specific clinical images, is a vital skill for the acute care practitioner. The purpose of this book is to provide some of those visual diagnostic clues that might be encountered in acute care scenarios. In Part 1, each visual cue is associated with an
actual case and a multiple choice question. The correct answer and a focused discussion then follow in Part 2. In academic practice, utilizing a visual cue with an associated case presentation and a multiple choice question is a highly effective teaching method. In clinical practice, the use of case-based scenarios is a popular, effective means of selfeducation. This enables the teacher or the student to discuss the disease, and importantly the diagnosis and management. We have attempted to capture this teaching style within the context of this book. Whether you are an experienced clinician in private practice, an academician engaged in teaching, a resident or student in training looking to prepare for tests, we hope this book will provide you with further experience to excel as a practitioner in the field of medicine.
Christopher P. Holstege Alexander B. Baer Jesse M. Pines William J. Brady