Critical Diagnostic Thinking in Respiratory Care: A Case-Based Approach

by James K. Stoller, Eric D. Bakow, Eric Bakow

This book is organized into four logical sections. Section 1 is a thorough introduction to the processes involved in developing critical diagnostic thinking. It demonstrates how to use information from the patient's history and physical examination to develop the differential an ordered list of likeliest causes. The other sections of the book present cases typical of three broad clinical outpatient, inpatient non-ICU, and ICU. Each of the chapters in these sections begins with a clinical vignette posing an important respiratory problem with an accompanying description of the history and physical examination. This is followed by a review of the common and uncommon causes of the patient's symptom(s). The likelihood of a specific cause of the symptom is then analyzed using the specific features of the patient's history and physical examination. Finally, each chapter closes with a section on some of the more common pitfalls in diagnosing the patient.

398 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001