A 60-year-old man comes to the emergency department complaining of severe epigastric abdominal pain that radiates to his back. Clinical Scenarios
The pain improves when he leans forwards or assumes the fetal position. It is worse when he breathes in deeply. He also complains of nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. He smokes ten cigarettes and drinks 14 units of alcohol per day on average. On examination, he has tachycardia, tachypnoea, and low blood pressure. He is also confused. There are decreased breath sounds over the base of his left lung.
What tests would you request?
What management would you recommend?
What is the most likely diagnosis?
To find the answers to these and other important questions, click on the link to look at this topic today:
Read more about this BMJ Best Practice topic
Other useful topics:
Chronic pancreatitis
Overview of chronic alcohol use
Powered by FlippingBook