OVERVIEW
This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose answer is hypothermia. While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how hypothermia will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a tradition question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a disease is quite valuable.
QUESTION EXAMPLES
Question # 1
A perviously healthy 16 year old boy is brought to the emergency department by the police after she was found alone lying on the street. It is winter and the outside temperature was 38°F. On the way tot he hospital the paramedics administer oxygen and notice that the ECG shows a J-wave pattern. When they arrive at the hospital, the patient is lethargic and poorly responsive to verbal commands. Her temprueatee is 90°F, pulse is 62/min, respirations are 13/min, and blood pressure is 90/60 mm Hg. Alcohol can be smelled on her breath. A physical exam is otherwise unremarkable. What is the most likely explanation for this patient’s cardiac findings?
Explanation: J-wave pattern = hypothermia
Page Updated: 11.06.2016