Name: ______
Period: ______
Date: ______
Differential Diagnosis Day
Imagine you are a medically licensed and board certified physician who has just opened up his own practice in the area. The following are patient profiles from various patients that have come into your office for a diagnosis. Use your deductive reasoning skills and what you have learned about the cardiovascular system to decide which medical condition is causing their current problems.
Patient #1
Age: 18 y/o Sex: Male History: None
A young man comes into your office for a routine check-up. You go through the process of checking him from head to toe when you notice he has an abnormally large and discolored bruise on his upper thigh. You ask him about the bruise and he states that it probably happened during lacrosse practice a few weeks ago. You are worried that it is not healing correctly and decide to run blood clotting test. The test shows that his blood does not clot like it’s supposed to.
What is your diagnosis?
Why do you think this is correct?
How did this patient likely get this disorder?
Patient #2
Age: 62 years Sex: Male History: Smoker/Drinker
An older man comes into your office complaining of searing chest pain. He states that it feels like someone is stabbing him with a hot knife. You ask how long he has been feeling this way, and he states that it has been going on for a few days. You ask why he did not come into your office sooner, and he states that he originally thought that it was just heartburn or indigestion from eating too many fried foods.
What is your diagnosis?
Why do you think this is correct?
What can likely occur if this is not treated immediately?
Patient #3
Age: 47 y/o Sex: Male History: 6’04” 350 lbs
You are on call in the emergency room one night when a large man is rushed in. He is currently unconscious and the paramedics have him on oxygen. The wife is following close behind and you ask her what happened. She states that he was outside playing catch with their son when he started to rub his left arm. He then started to sweat profusely and fell to the ground clutching at his chest.
What is your diagnosis?
Why do you think this is correct?
What arteries are likely affected?
Patient #4
Age: 4 Sex: Male History: Constantly Sick
A mother brings her young son into your office because he is constantly getting sick. She states that he gets sick with flu-like symptoms almost once every few weeks. She states that he stays home most of the time and does not play with other children so she does not know why he is sick all of the time. You do not notice any external factors so you decide to have his blood drawn. The results come back showing that he has an excessive amount of white blood cells. You immediately call the mother in hopes of testing his bone marrow.
What is your diagnosis?
Why do you think this is correct?
What would be your recommendation to the patient’s mother?
Patient #5
Age: 50 Sex: Female History: None
An older female comes into your office complaining that she is fatigued all the time, deals with bouts of dizziness, and faints a few times a week. She states that she tries to eat healthy and does not take drugs or drink alcohol. You listen to her heart and notice it sounds a little strange. You decide to bring in the electrocardiogram (ECG) and hook her up to test and see how the electrical system of her heart is doing. The ECG shows that the heart rate is much slower than it should be, and the ventricles are contracting at a different rate than the atria.
What is your diagnosis?
Why do you think this is correct?
Which node of the intrinsic conduction system is likely damaged?
Patient #6
Age: 42 y/o Sex: Female History:
A woman comes into your office for a routine check-up. You run all the tests and do not find anything particularly wrong with her. You decide to test her blood pressure and heart rate and notice something is a bit off. Her blood pressure comes back at 143/94 mmHg and her heart rate is sustained at 113 bpm.
What are your diagnoses (two separate issues)?
Why do you think these are correct?
What would be your recommendation to the patient?
Patient #7
Age: 16 y/o Sex: Female History: None
A high school student is brought into your office by her parents. They are worried about her because she is tired all the time and has very little energy after school to do any extracurricular activities. They are worried she might be taking drugs and want to have her blood tested for any substances. She is adamant that she is not on drugs and agrees to the blood test. You do not find any illegal substances, but you do notice that her iron and hemoglobin levels are dangerously low.
What is your diagnosis?
Why do you think this is correct?
Being a female teenager, what is a likely cause for this disorder?