It has been a long night in the Emergency Department. The charge nurse is beginning to wonder if there is something unusual going on in the community.

Question

On this shift, the ED staff has
seen 10 patients with (1) . It is not unusual to see
patients with (2) related problems, but she has never seenthis
many cases of (3) in such a short time before.
She did recognize two of the patients who have come in before with (4)
, or (5) , as it is commonly
called. It could be that their symptoms are just related to their chronic condition, she reasoned.
But even so, this many cases of (6) , or inflammation of the
stomach, just didn’t seem normal. All of these cases seemed to be more than just (7) , or common indigestion.
The next evening, the nurse decided to check on the status of the patients she had seen the
previous evening. Of the 10 patients with digestive problems, eight were now inpatients. One
had been admitted with a diagnosis of (8) . Her diminished
health, including vomiting, seemed to be connected to her purging. The second patient had been
admitted with (9) , or difficulty with swallowing and
vomiting. She was currently being evaluated for pharyngeal cancer. The third had a general
diagnosis of (10) , or inflammation of the stomach. The small
intestines did not seem to be involved, so this patient did not have a diagnosis of (11)
. This patient was being evaluated for a possible (12)
. The next patient had nausea and vomiting
accompanied by lower right quadrant pain of the abdomen. Earlier in the day, it had been
determined that this patient had (13) , and surgery had
already been performed to remove theappendix. The next patient had a new diagnosis of (14) , or inflammation of the colon. The next patient was
diagnosed with (15) , or inflammation of small pouches on
the wall of the colon. Two patients were sent home with diagnoses of (16)
, or inflammation of the intestines. The charge nurse was
relieved to hear of the progress with all these patients.
Many tests were performed on these patients. Bloodwork was done to rule out (17)
and (18) . Visual and
manual exams were conducted to rule out (19) and (20) . The presence of many polyps is
called (21) . These conditions could necessitate a surgical procedure that involves an incision through the abdominal wall, often from the base of the sternum to the pubic bone, called a(n) (22) , or a(n) (23) or the surgical removal of polyps.

Fill on the numbered blanks with the correct words.

Answer 1

On this shift, the ED staff has seen 10 patients with (1) food poisoning. It is not unusual to see patients with (2) digestive system-related problems, but she has never seen this many cases of (3) nausea and vomiting or N&V in such a short time before.
She did recognize two of the patients who have come in before with (4) gastroesophageal reflux, or (5) GERD, as it is commonly called. It could be that their symptoms are just related to their chronic condition, she reasoned. But even so, this many cases of (6) gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach, just didn’t seem normal. All of these cases seemed to be more than just (7) dyspepsia, or common indigestion.
The next evening, the nurse decided to check on the status of the patients she had seen the previous evening. Of the 10 patients with digestive problems, eight were now inpatients. One had been admitted with a diagnosis of (8) bulimia. Her diminished health, including vomiting, seemed to be connected to her purging. The second patient had been admitted with (9) dysphagia, or difficulty with swallowing and vomiting. She was currently being evaluated for pharyngeal cancer. The third had a general diagnosis of (10) gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach. The small intestines did not seem to be involved, so this patient did not have a diagnosis of (11) gastroenteritis. This patient was being evaluated for a possible (12) ulcer. The next patient had nausea and vomiting accompanied by lower right quadrant pain of the abdomen. Earlier in the day, it had been determined that this patient had (13) appendicitis, and surgery had already been performed to remove the appendix. The next patient had a new diagnosis of (14) colitis, or inflammation of the colon. The next patient was diagnosed with (15) diverticulitis, or inflammation of small pouches on the wall of the colon. Two patients were sent home with diagnoses of (16) enteritis, or inflammation of the intestines. The charge nurse was relieved to hear of the progress with all these patients.
Many tests were performed on these patients. Bloodwork was done to rule out (17) hepatitis and (18) peritonitis. Visual and manual exams were conducted to rule out (19) hernias and (20) polyps. The presence of many polyps is called (21) polyposis. These conditions could necessitate a surgical procedure that involves an incision through the abdominal wall, often from the base of the sternum to the pubic bone, called a (22) laparotomy, or a (23) polypectomy, or the surgical removal of polyps.