You be the Doctor: Episode 25

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]Could you be the doctor? Which of these [music] two patients would you see first? Patient one is a 64-year-old man.

[00:00:04]He's been experiencing worsening [music] shortness of breath on exertion for the past week on a background of being a bit breathless for a few months. His wife tells you he's taking to sleeping in a chair cuz he finds it more comfortable.

[00:00:14]She doesn't mind this, however, because he's been waking her up every night from sleep to go and get some air. He's noticed [music] a bit of swelling in his ankles, but certainly no chest pain. He has a past medical history of angina and high blood pressure. His food intake has been normal, but he does notice he's been a bit warmer recently. On arrival, he's not breathless, but he's also not very keen to lie down. Patient two is a 62-year-old woman. She develops with shortness of breath also, but just this afternoon. It was [music] initially present only on exertion when she was walking to the hospital, but now she's noticing it at rest. She's just returned from a wedding in Las Vegas, where she slept for the entire flight after binging on alcohol pretty heavily for the past 3 days. She has no cough or fever, but a sharp chest pain on the left side when she breathes in deeply.

[00:00:50]She has a history of breast cancer, for which she's on treatment currently. As she arrives, she tells you she feels dizzy on standing up, worrying she might pass out. Her heart rate is 102 bpm >> [music] >> and her blood pressure is 102 over 73.

[00:01:02]There you go, two patients with shortness of breath, but which one would you see first? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. I'll give you my thoughts and explanation tomorrow.