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  Case #52 "Not Too Sick…Yet"
by Charlene Babcock Irvin, MD


At sign out rounds, I took over the care of a 51 y/o female who presented with leg pain. She did not do anything unusual yesterday, and felt fine this morning, but has been having increasing pain in her left leg. She notes the pain is worst in the lateral thigh area. Movement increases the pain. The leaving doc notes the exam was unimpressive except for pain in the lateral muscles of the thigh. Because the pain seemed more severe than a muscle pull, a vascular study to r/o DVT was ordered. She really didn’t have any boney tenderness, and no history of trauma, so no x-ray was ordered.

I then became busy with two new patients and another sign out that was septic, so it was about one hour before I got back to do my own exam on this patient.

She was asking for more pain medication, and noted that the pain medication given earlier worked, but now had worn off. When asked to point where it hurts the most, she pointed to mid thigh, lateral portion on the left.

PMH: NIDDM, HTN

SH: No smoking history. Social alcohol consumption

FH: Negative for DVT

ROS: No fevers, chills, nausea, vomiting. She has never had pain or symptoms like this before. No chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, dysuria, bowel problems or rashes.

PE: Obese black female (wt = 120 KG) in no acute distress talking with her friend at the bedside.

VS: (on arrival—now 3 hours old) BP 145/82, RR=24, Pulse = 98, Temp = 98.9 Sat = 96% RA

HEENT: Normal

Heart: Tachy at 100 now

Lungs: Clear bilaterally

Abd: Obese, non-tender

Ext: Pulses present bilaterally (Dorsalis Pedis), No erythema is appreciated anywhere along the leg. There are no rashes. ROM is limited by pain in the thigh. Movement of ankle and foot is unremarkable. There is no boney tenderness to the knee or tibia/fibula or foot. When palpating the area of the lower thigh, I noted a small amount of crepitus in the subcutaneous area.

1. There are multiple actions (>10) that need to be done immediately, what are they?

2. Does this patient have SIRS?

3. What is the cause of this and how is it treated?
 

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