#POV
#POV You're The Doctor (Emergency) Season 4, Episode 1
Created with Tyler Beauchamp, medical student & author
#doctor #medicine #healthcare #medschool #premed #medstudent #jakegoodman #emergency
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My content is for educational and marketing purposes and should not be used in place of therapy or treatment
Answer: C - PCP intoxication
The patient appears to have taken phencyclidine (PCP), a drug with both stimulatory, hallucinogenic, depressive effects. Classic signs of PCP use are confusion with changes in behavior (violence being common), elevated heart rate and blood pressure, rigid muscles, and nystagmus (involuntary eye twitches).
You may also see high temps, hallucinations, and dilated pupils, which along with nystagmus would help differentiate from other stimulant use like cocaine (Answer B). While heroin use would show constricted pupils and confusion, heart rate and blood pressure would be lowered not elevated (Answer A).
References:
Dominici P, Kopec K, Manur R, Khalid A, Damiron K, Rowden A. Phencyclidine Intoxication Case Series Study. Journal of Medical Toxicology. 2014; 11(3): p.321-325.