Case Studies

Each case opens like the real thing — a patient, a set of vitals, a decision. Work the reasoning stage by stage, then keep the pearl. This is how the exam actually tests you.

Emergency Medicine

Throat Tightness After Dinner: Anaphylaxis with Airway Compromise

A 24-year-old woman is brought to the ED 15 minutes after eating shrimp at a restaurant. She has diffuse urtic

Open case
Emergency Medicine

Sudden Right-Sided Weakness and Aphasia in a 68-Year-Old Woman

A 68-year-old woman is brought to the ED after her husband witnessed the sudden onset of right-sided weakness

Open case
Internal Medicine

Collapse After Knee Replacement: High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism

A 64-year-old woman presents 6 days after total knee arthroplasty with the sudden onset of severe dyspnea and

Open case
Internal Medicine

Hematemesis in a Man with Known Cirrhosis

A 58-year-old man with alcohol-related cirrhosis (Child-Pugh B) presents after vomiting bright red blood twice

Open case
General Surgery

Right Lower Quadrant Pain in a Young Adult

A 22-year-old man presents with 18 hours of abdominal pain that began periumbilically and later migrated to th

Open case
Women's Health (Gynecologic, Sexual & Reproductive Health)

Sudden Pelvic Pain and Syncope at 7 Weeks

A 27-year-old woman presents with sudden severe right lower quadrant pain that began 1 hour ago, followed by a

Open case
Pediatrics

The 21-Day-Old With a Fever

A 21-day-old, full-term, previously healthy boy is brought in by his parents for a rectal temperature of 38.6

Open case
Pediatrics

The Wheezing Infant in December: Bronchiolitis vs Asthma

A previously healthy 9-month-old is brought to the ED in mid-December with 3 days of nasal congestion, cough,

Open case
Psychiatric & Behavioral Health

Agitation and Tremor After a New Pain Medication

A 28-year-old man with major depressive disorder maintained on fluoxetine presents with 8 hours of worsening a

Open case
Family Medicine

New Diabetes, Dangerous Pressure

A 54-year-old man with no prior medical care presents with 6 weeks of increased thirst, frequent urination, an

Open case