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Samantha, a 35 year old woman, just got back from a humanitarian relief effort in Haiti. She is complaining of weakness, thirst, and severe diarrhea with some blood present. She appears dehydrated and there is no previous medical history available. Vitals are as follows: • RR: 17 breath/min

HR: 80 bpm
BP: 100/70 mmHg
Weight: 125 lbs
Multiple Tests were ordered and the results can be found HERE Case 4 - Question 1a: Is this patient dehydrated? What abnormal test result leads you to this conclusion? What is her BUN.Creatinine ratio?

User Rstruck
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Final answer:

Samantha is likely dehydrated, indicated by symptoms of weakness, thirst, and severe diarrhea, as well as signs of dehydration such as elevated BUN/Creatinine ratio due to hemoconcentration from fluid loss. A blood test will probably show abnormalities consistent with dehydration. Additional tests would be needed to investigate the cause of bleeding and electrolyte imbalance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the symptoms and presentation, it appears that Samantha is exhibiting signs of dehydration. She is showing symptoms such as weakness, thirst, severe diarrhea with some blood present, which suggest a considerable loss of fluids. These clinical signs, combined with a history of recent travel to Haiti for humanitarian relief, raise concerns for an illness that includes dehydration as a key feature. Dehydration can lead to an abnormal Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)/Creatinine ratio, which is typically elevated when the kidneys are functioning properly but the blood volume is decreased, as in dehydration. A blood test will likely reveal an elevated BUN/Creatinine ratio in Samantha's condition due to dehydration leading to hemoconcentration.

In clinical scenarios like this, the evaluation of electrolyte levels would also be important, as diarrhea can lead to the loss of electrolytes and further complications. Given the presence of blood in the stool, it would be prudent to also consider and test for possible infections or conditions causing the bleeding, such as dysentery or other gastrointestinal diseases.

User Anelook
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