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Clinical Case 4
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A 42-year-old gentleman presents to the emergency department with complaints of fatigue, dizziness, and melena of 3 days duration. He denies any significant past medical history but has been taking ibuprofen 800 mg every 8 hours for a recent injury to his knee, sustained during a basketball game (he's a "weekend warrior"). Physical exam demonstrates a pale man with a temperature of 37° C, pulse 120, blood pressure 98/50, respirations 12. His abdomen is nontender and nondistended with active bowel sounds; there is no palpable organomegaly. His rectal exam demonstrates black stool that is heme-positive. The remainder of the exam is normal. His hemoglobin is 7.2 g/dL. You decide to transfuse him 2 units of packed red blood cells. After 30 minutes of transfusion, the patient complains of dyspnea and back pain. Repeat examination of this patient reveals a diaphoretic man with a pulse of 130 and blood pressure of 88/50. His lung fields are clear.



1

What is your next step?
A)Stop the blood transfusion and begin normal saline through the IV.
B)Increase the rate of transfusion.
C)Administer acetaminophen 650 mg by mouth.
D)Administer furosemide 40 mg IV.
E)Place a nasogastric tube for lavage.







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