Acute presentation triage and best next step scenarios for emergency department complaints tested on USMLE Step 2 CK.
40 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Suspected tension pneumothorax with hypotension: what is the immediate next step?
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Needle decompression (do not wait for chest x-ray)- What is the classic clinical triad of tension pneumothorax?
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Hypotension, distended neck veins, tracheal deviation away from the affected side- What is Beck's triad, seen in cardiac tamponade?
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Hypotension, jugular venous distension, muffled heart sounds- Best initial bedside imaging for suspected cardiac tamponade in the ED?
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Bedside echocardiogram (point-of-care ultrasound)- Hypotensive patient with suspected ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: best next step?
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Immediate surgical consultation for emergent repair, not CT scan- What is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis?
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Intramuscular epinephrine- Where should IM epinephrine be injected when treating anaphylaxis?
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The anterolateral (mid) thigh- A patient presents with a chemical splash to the eye. What must be done before visual acuity testing or slit-lamp exam?
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Copious irrigation of the eye- The door-to-balloon time goal for a STEMI patient undergoing primary PCI is ____.
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90 minutes- Name one absolute contraindication to thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke.
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History of intracranial hemorrhage (or active internal bleeding)- IV tPA for acute ischemic stroke should be given within ____ of symptom onset or last known well.
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4.5 hours- What is the first step in the ED workup of suspected acute ischemic stroke?
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Noncontrast head CT to rule out hemorrhage- A sudden, severe 'worst headache of my life' should raise suspicion for what diagnosis?
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Subarachnoid hemorrhage- Best initial test for suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage?
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Noncontrast CT of the head- If head CT is negative but subarachnoid hemorrhage is still strongly suspected, what test should follow?
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Lumbar puncture, looking for xanthochromia
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