Chief Complaint: Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting
HPI: John Smith is a 52-year-old male with PMH of HTN, Type 2 DM, hyperlipidemia, and hx of ETOH who presents at his primary care provider’s office with complaints of gradually worsening abdominal pain and nausea over the past 7 days. He reports bloody vomiting yesterday afternoon after eating a heavy breakfast. He also states that his stools have been progressively abnormal, noting as black and tarry over the past month. Mr. Smith reports fatigue and weight loss of about 10 pounds over the past month as well. His BMI is down to 18. He denies current ETOH but does report that he has a history of alcoholism and currently goes to Alcoholics Anonymous. He reports multiple relapses but none over the past 6 months. He denies intravenous drug use.
PMH: Essential hypertension, Type 2 DM, Hyperlipidemia, ETOH, depressive d/o
Allergies: NKDA
Medications:
Lisinopril/HCTZ 10/12.5 mg PO QD
Metformin 500 mg PO BID
Lipitor 40 mg PO QD
Lexapro 25 mg PO QD
ASA 81 mg PO QD
APAP 650 mg PO Q4H prn
Colace 100 mg PO QD
Thiamine 100 mg PO QD
Folic acid 1 mg PO QD
ROS: Constitutional symptoms: fatigue, poor appetite, lightheadedness, body tension during visit
Eyes: reports normal vision, no glasses
Ears, nose, mouth, throat: denies congestion, epistaxis, and cough
Cardiovascular: denies chest pain, reports worsening edema in bilateral legs
Respiratory: reports worsening dyspnea on exertion, denies SOB at rest, denies hemoptysis
Gastrointestinal: abdominal pain 6/10 RUQ, hematemesis reported, melena reported
Genitourinary: denies pain on urination or urinary incontinence
Musculoskeletal: reports decrease muscle mass in arms
Integumentary: normal to ethnicity, denies abnormalities
Neurological: reports normal cognitive function, denies neuralgia or neuropathy, occasional dizziness
Psychiatric: reports normal mood
Endocrine: reports blood sugars fasting between 60-90 mg/dL
Hematologic/Lymphatic: uses aspirin daily, no history of excessive bleeding
Allergic/Immunologic: denies environmental or medication allergies
Physical Exam:
Vitals: 98.9 F (oral), 128/88 RA sitting, pulse 110, Resp 18, 96% RA, 6/10 pain (RUQ)
General: unkempt, strong malodor from body, no smell of ETOH, clothes dirty
Skin: palmar erythema, warm, dry, intact
Head: normocephalic
Eyes: bilateral sclera icteric, PERLLA, fundi normal, no signs of nystagmus
ENT: hearing is normal, dry nasal and oral mucosa, fetor hepaticus
Neck: neck is supple, no JVD, trachea midline
Cardiac: 1+ pitting edema bilateral legs, heart rate regular S1-S2, venous hum over epigastric region, pulses strong and equal
Respiratory: pulmonary effort normal, breath sounds clear in all fields
Abdominal: bowel sounds + in all quadrants, distended, + fluid wave test, RUQ 6/10 pain with palpation
Genital/Rectal: stool dark and tarry, no external masses or lesions, urine dark yellow
Neurological: drowsy, oriented to person, place and event, forgetful
Psychiatric: appropriate mood and affect
Lab findings:
CBC
HCT 33% (35%-45%)
Hgb 12 (11.5-15.5)
MCH 33.5 (27.0-33.0)
MCHC 32 (32.0-36.0)
MCV 110 (80-100)
Platelet 135 (140-400)
RBC 4.9 (3.8-5.1)
WBC 11.2 (4.0-10.8)
LFT
AST 40 (10-40 IU/L)
ALT 85 (0-50 IU/L)
ALP 135 (40-150 IU/L)
Bilirubin 1.5 (0.1-1.2 mg/dL)
Albumin 28 (32-45 g/L)
GGT 28 (0-30 IU/L)
Total Protein 4.2 (6-8.3 g/dL)
Serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) >1.1
For Wednesday post, please answer all of these questions below.
1.What are some of the differential diagnoses this patient may be experiencing?
2.What may be some of the contributing factors to the symptoms?
3.What characteristics of the patient might contribute to his disease process?
4.What are some other lab tests that you may want to order?