Case Discussion
Clinical teaching and practical ideas for your next study session.
COPD, Pneumonia, and New Confusion: When an ABG Should Prompt a Monitored NIV Trial
In an older adult with COPD, pneumonia, and new confusion, the key decision is not whether to give oxygen. It is whether the ABG shows acute hypercapnic respiratory failure that supports a monitored bilevel NIV trial—and whether the mental-status change still permits a safe, closely monitored trial.
Asthma With Panic Symptoms: When Partial Improvement Is Not Enough
A young adult with wheeze, tremor, paresthesia, and fear may have asthma, hyperventilation, or both. This case teaches family physicians how objective reassessment—not oxygen saturation or reassurance alone—guides escalation, discharge, and controller therapy.
Chest Pain in a Diabetic Smoker: Recognizing High-Risk ACS and Its Dangerous Mimics
A board-ready family medicine case discussion on ST depression, troponin interpretation, HEART score limitations, urgent treatment, and safe transfer.
When the Medication Bag Is the Chart: Polypharmacy, CKD, and Health-Literacy Challenges in Family Medicine
An older adult’s high blood pressure may be a medication-safety problem, not a cue to intensify therapy. This case teaches reconciliation, individualized targets, CKD-aware prescribing, privacy, and teach-back.