Leg pain is common with lower extremity surgery, trauma, vascular problems, inflammatory or degenerative conditions, infection, or referred pain. Some of these conditions can be managed by telephone, whereas others require that you examine the patient. A careful discussion with…
Intravascular access is a means to administer fluids and medications and is a valuable tool for gathering hemodynamic information. The loss of “access” is a common reason for a phone call. This chapter provides orientation to various types of intravascular…
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Hypotension is a common and serious complication of a patient’s hospital course. In mild and early stages, there are many compensatory responses that can support tissue perfusion. If it worsens, circulatory collapse can ensue, resulting in shock. Shock is the…
The goal on call is to treat hypertensive episodes that are symptomatic or that put the patient at risk for myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or bleeding. As the on-call physician, it is best to leave the fine-tuning of a patient’s…
While on call, you will be asked to evaluate and treat patients with headache. Postsurgical patients may develop headache as a sequela of anesthesia, stress, sleep disturbance, drug reaction, hypertension, increased intracranial pressure (ICP), and other causes. Other patients may…
This chapter covers briefly the nutritional needs of surgical patients. Surgical patients differ from other patients in the hospital because in addition to basal metabolic demands and the increased nutritional requirements of disease and immune defense, they also have demands…
Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a stressful on-call problem to manage. It is common in hospitalized patients, and it includes a broad spectrum of disorders. GI bleeding can represent a minor problem or a life-threatening emergency. Initial management involves resuscitation, stabilization,…
Surgical disease and treatment is often associated with aberrations in fluids, electrolytes, and acid–base status. Rapid fluid status assessment is a constant exercise in the management of surgical patients and the application of therapies best suited to treat respective abnormalities.…
All patients with fever warrant clinical investigation. Although most febrile patients in the postoperative period are not infected, the evaluation is directed toward the discovery of infection, as this is the most threatening cause. Phone Call Questions 1. How high…