A 48-year-old woman was brought to the emergency room complaining of a sudden onset of dyspnea. She reports she was standing in the kitchen making dinner when she suddenly felt as if she could not get enough air, her heart started racing, and she became lightheaded and felt as if she would faint. She denied chest pain or a cough. Her medical history is significant only for gallstones, for which she underwent a cholecystectomy 2 weeks previously. The procedure was complicated by a wound infection, requiring her to stay in the hospital for 8 days.
She takes no medications regularly, only for acetaminophen as needed for pain at her abdominal incision site. Medical Observation. She is tachypneic with a respiratory rate of 28 breaths per minute, oxygen saturations 84% on room air, heart rate 124 bpm, and blood pressure 118/89 mm Hg. She appears uncomfortable, diaphoretic, and frightened. Her…
