Internal Medicine: Case Files Flashcards
For individuals from areas of low drug-resistance, What is the usual therapy for TB?
2 month course of INH, Rifampin, and Pyrazinamide (Watching patients take the medication should be instituted in all patients in this phase), followed by 4 month course of INH and rifampin. Pyridoxine is frequently added to avoid peripheral neuropathy caused by INH.
Treatment failure is defined as positive cultures after 3 months or positive AFB stains after 5 months and should be treated by adding two more drugs.
What are the most common causes of bloody pleural effusion (in the absence of trauma)?
- Malignancy: Associated with subacute symptoms
- Pulmonary embolism with infarction: associated with acute onset dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain
- Tuberculosis
What is the treatment for an acute painful episode in a sickle cell patient?
- Hydration
- Narcotic analgesia
- Adequate oxygenation
- Search for underlying infection
At what point is carotid endarterectomy superior to medical therapy in stroke prevention (provided the surgical risk is
In symptomatic patients with severe stenosis >70%
Elevated serum levels of LDH and indirect bilirubin or decreased serum levels of haptoglobin are consistent with what?
Hemolysis
What is the most common cause of pleural effusion and how does it present?
Congestive heart failure which is associated with bilateral symmetric transudative effusions
Treatment of choice is diuresis
When do you start prophylaxis against Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MAC) complex in a HIV positive patient and what do you give?
Clarithromycin or Azithromycin when CD4 count < 50 cells/mm3
What is the treatment for latent TB?
INH for 9 months
What is the principal imaging modality to diagnose suspected pulmonary embolism?
Chest CT with IV contrast
Patients in whom a CT with radiocontrast cannot be obtained or is contraindicated, a V/Q scan remains a useful tool
What are some poor prognostic signs of acute pancreatitis?
- BUN rises 5 mg/dL after 48hrs despite IV hydration
- Elevated serum glucose
- Hematocrit drop of at least 10%
Notably, the amylase level does not correlate to the severity of the disease
What is the treatment of choice for endocarditis due to one of the HACEK oragnisms?
Ceftriaxone
What is the treatment for viral or inflammatory pericarditis?
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids for refractory cases
What is the BUN:Creatinine ratio in prerenal failure?
>20
When is PPD considered positive in a person without any risk factors?
Induration >15mm after 48-72 hours
What is the treatment for prerenal and postrenal failures?
Prerenal: Volume replacement
Postrenal: Relief of obstruction
What is the drug of choice for treating Osteoarthritis?
Acetaminophen
What are the most common bacteria implicated in catheter-associated infections?
Staph Aureus and coagulase-negative Staph
What is the treatment for neurosyphilis or tertiary syphilis?
IV penicillin for 10-14 days
What is the treatment for euvolemic patients with hyponatremia?
Fluid restriction
Patients with severe symptoms such as coma or seizures, should be treated with hypertonic (3%) saline
What are the 3 most common causes of cough in an immunocompetent nonsmoker who is not taking ACE inhibitors?
- Postnasal drip
- Asthma
- GERD
Unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia is usually caused by what?
Hemolysis or Gilbert Syndrome
When is PPD considered positive in patients with HIV, close contacts of patients with TB, or patients with CXR findings consistent with TB?
Induration of 5mm or more after 48-72 hours
What is the appearance of the ventricles and brain in a patient with normal pressure hydrocephalus?
Enlarged brain ventricles without brain atrophy
Hemorrhagic cerebrospinal fluid with evidence of temporal lobe involvement by imaging or EEG suggests what?
Herpes simplex virus encephalitis
Acyclovir is the tx of choice
In what normal conditions or disease states can RPR and VDRL tests for syphilis be falsely positive?
- Pregnancy
- SLE
Microhemagglutination assay for Treponema pallidum (MHA-TP) and the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test should be performed for confirmation of syphilis, but once positive, they usually stay positive for life.
To be diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, a patient must have 4 of what 11 criteria?
- Malar rash
- Discoid rash
- Photosensitivity
- Oral ulcers
- Arthritis
- Serositis
- Renal disease
- Neurologic manifestations
- Hematologic cytopenias
- Immunologic abnormalities
- Positive Antinuclear antibody (ANA)
What should the rate of sodium correction not exceed in order to avoid central pontine myelinolysis?
0.5 to 1 mEq/hr
What is the initial treatment for immune thrombocytopenic purpura?
Corticosteroids
Severe disease can be treated with IV immunoglobulin and chronic refractory cases are treated with splenectomy.
Acute onset dyspnea or hypoxemia with a normal chest x-ray should be considered what until proven otherwise?
A pulmonary embolism
What is the drug of choice for Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Temporal Arteritis?
Corticosteroids
- Polymyalgia Rheumatica: Prednisone 10-20mg
- Temporal Arteritis: Prednisone 40-60mg
What are the indications for urgent dialysis?
AEIOU
- Acid-base problems (severe acidosis or alkalosis)
- Electrolyte problems (hyperkalemia)
- Intoxications
- Overload, fluid
- Uremic symptoms
Because of the risk of fatal cardiac arrhythmias, severe hyperkalemia is considered an emergency best treated medically and not with dialysis
What is the treatment for rhabdomyolysis?
Aggressive administration of IV normal saline to prevent renal failure
What is the medical approach to Alzheimer disease?
Cholinesterase inhibitors such as Donepezil or Rivastigmine
In a patient with adrenal insufficiency, is hyperpigmentation a sign of primary, secondary, or tertiary etiology?
Primary
Hyperpigmentation occurs as a result of increased melanocyte-stimulating factor, a byproduct of ACTH, and occurs in primary adrenal insufficiency. Secondary causes of adrenal insufficiency result in low ACTH levels and thus do not cause the “tanned” appearance
What is the prophylaxis of choice in patients at high risk of endocarditis?
Amoxicillin
What is the target blood pressure of a patient being treated for hypertension?
< 135/85 mmHg unless the patient has diabetes or renal disease, in which case the target is < 130/80 mmHg
What is the medical approach to multi-infarct dementia?
Address atherosclerotic risk factors and identify/treat thrombus
What is the difference between the onset of action of DMARDs and TNF antagonists?
TNF antagonists take effect within weeks whereas DMARDs take several months
What is the medical approach to Multiple Sclerosis?
Recombinant interferon and corticosteroids
What is the approach to Normal-pressure Hydrocephalus?
Ventricular shunting process
Pulsus paradoxus (drop in systolic BP >10mm Hg upon inspiration) is suggestive of what?
Cardiac tamponade
This is the most important physical sign to look for in tamponade, although it is not specific for tamponade it is fairly sensitive for hemodynamically significant tamponade in almost all cases
Early reperfusion with Percutaneous coronary intervention or thrombolytics reduces mortality and preserves ventricular function in which patients suffering from an acute MI?
Those who have ST-segment elevation, no contraindications, and receive treatment within the first 6-12 hours
Patients benefit maximally from thrombolytics when they are administered within 1 to 3 hours after the onset of chest pain, and the relative benefits decline with time. Because systemic coagulopathy may develop with time, the major risk of thrombolytics is bleeding, which can be potentially disastrous, for example, intracranial hemorrhage. The risk of hemorrhage is relatively constant, so the risk begins to outweigh the benefit by 12 hours, at which time most infarctions are completed, that is, the at-risk myocardium is dead
What is the definitive treatment for Graves Disease?
Radioactive iodine
For patients with chronic hypoxemia, what treatment has the most significant impact on mortality?
Supplemental oxygen
What is the most important step in the diagnosis of endocarditis?
Serial blood cultures
Acutely ill patients should have three blood cultures obtained over a 2-3 hour period prior to initiating antibiotics. In subacute disease, three blood cultures over a 24 hour period maximize the diagnostic yield
What test is done to rule out a PE in a patient with a low probability of having PE?
D-Dimer ELISA
Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia with elevated alk phos is usually caused by what?
Biliary obstruction
Patient presents with pleuritic chest pain, a pericardial friction rub, and ECG findings of diffuse ST-segment elevation and PR-segment depression. What is the diagnosis?
Acute Pericarditis
When is a permanent cardiac pacemaker indicated?
- Symptomatic bradyarrhythmias (sick sinus syndrome)
- Mobitz II atrioventricular block
- Third degree heart block
What are the two most common causes of restrictive cardiomyopathy and what is the therapy?
- Causes: Amyloidosis or radiation therapy
- Treatment: No effective therapy
What is the treatment of choice for endocarditis due to Methicillin susceptible Staph aureus?
Nafcillin
Often used in combination with Gentamicin initially for synergy, to help resolve bacteremia
What is a positive Kussmaul sign and what condition is it likely to be seen in?
An increase in neck veins with inspiration is seen in constrictive pericarditis
Ordinarily the JVP falls with inspiration due to reduced pressure in the expanding thoracic cavity and the increased volume afforded to right ventricular expansion during diastole. Kussmaul’s sign suggests impaired filling of the right ventricle due to either fluid in the pericardial space or a poorly compliant myocardium or pericardium. This impaired filling causes the increased blood flow to back up into the venous system, causing the jugular vein distension (JVD) and is seen clinically in the external jugular veins becoming more readily visible.