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?
- Needle decompression (do not wait for chest x-ray)
- What is the classic clinical triad of tension pneumothorax?
- Hypotension, distended neck veins, tracheal deviation away from the affected side
- What is Beck's triad, seen in cardiac tamponade?
- Hypotension, jugular venous distension, muffled heart sounds
- Best initial bedside imaging for suspected cardiac tamponade in the ED?
- Bedside echocardiogram (point-of-care ultrasound)
- Hypotensive patient with suspected ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: best next step?
- Immediate surgical consultation for emergent repair, not CT scan
- What is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis?
- Intramuscular epinephrine
- Where should IM epinephrine be injected when treating anaphylaxis?
- 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?
- Copious irrigation of the eye
- The door-to-balloon time goal for a STEMI patient undergoing primary PCI is ____.
- 90 minutes
- Name one absolute contraindication to thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke.
- 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.
- 4.5 hours
- What is the first step in the ED workup of suspected acute ischemic stroke?
- Noncontrast head CT to rule out hemorrhage
- A sudden, severe 'worst headache of my life' should raise suspicion for what diagnosis?
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Best initial test for suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage?
- Noncontrast CT of the head
- If head CT is negative but subarachnoid hemorrhage is still strongly suspected, what test should follow?
- Lumbar puncture, looking for xanthochromia