Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain Essay
Assignment Instructions – Choose One Case Study.
Read the Case Studies below.
Use the information to respond to all the questions.
APA Format with references are required
Upload your responses.
Case Study #1: Chest Pain
CHIEF COMPLAINT: “I have pain in my chest †x 1 day Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain Essay
History of present illness:
Mr. Fern is a 55-year-old advertising executive who comes to the emergency room complaining of pain in his chest and arm which began one hour ago. He describes the pain as pressure under the sternum that radiates into his left arm and up into his jaw. On a scale of 1 to 10 he rates it as a 7 in intensity. He feels short of breath. He has had similar symptoms during the last two weeks, but these episodes have lasted for 5 to 10 minutes at the most. He noticed that the symptoms are brought on by climbing the stairs and are relieved with rest. Right now, he reports nausea and diaphoresis. He was given sublingual nitroglycerin by the triage nurse in the emergency room, which has helped to ease the pain. Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain Essay
Vital Signs: BP 160/100 mmHg in both arms; heart rate 85 bpm and regular; respiratory rate 28 breaths/minute; temperature 98.7°F
1. What additional questions would you ask Mr. Fern and why?
2. Which parts of the physical exam would you like to perform? Explain your rationale for selecting those parts
general survey
breasts and axilla
vital signs
male genitalia Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain Essay
skin
head and neck
anus, rectum, and prostate
thorax and lungs
peripheral vascular/extremities
cardiovascular
musculoskeletal
abdomen
nervous system
lymphatic
3. Based on this information, list three differential diagnosis? Explain your rationale for each diagnosis. Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain Essay
4. What tests or labs would you order for this patient and why?
Requirements Textbook and Resources:
Bickley, L. S., Szilagyi, P. G., Hoffman, R. M., & Soriano, R. P. (2021). Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and history taking (13th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Dains, J. E., Scheibel, P., & Baumann, L. C. (2023). Advanced Health Assessment & Clinical Diagnosis in Primary Care (7th ed.). ELSEVIER – HEALTH SCIENCE. Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain Essay