Question 324 · LEK · Thyroid surgery
A female patient, status-post removal of the thyroid gland due to cancer, who has been for 4 hours in the postoperative room, was observed to have breathlessness, stridor and increasing neck circumference. In this case you should:
- A. initiate administration of vitamin D and calcium products, suspecting tetany.
- B. schedule an urgent consultation an ENT specialist, suspecting unilateral paralysis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve.
- C. schedule an elective consultation with an ENT specialist, suspecting bilateral paralysis of the recurrent laryngeal nerves. 110 z 117 29.06.2026, 14:15 Centrum Egzaminów Medycznych https://test.cem.edu.pl/pytcem/wyswietl_baza_pdf.php
- D. intubate the patient and refer her for an urgent operation, suspecting postoperative hemorrhage.
- E. the patient requires only observation and administration of analgesics as per the analgesic ladder.
Hint
Rapidly increasing neck swelling with stridor a few hours after surgery suggests a compressive cause needing immediate action.
The answer, the explanation and a note on every option are available once you log in. The account is free: topic tests, a mock exam, mistake review and statistics.
More questions on Surgery
- A syndrome involving vegetative symptoms, which occurs when large amounts of food move too quickly into the subsequent parts of the intestine in…
- A 40-year-old patient with atrial fibrillation, transferred into the admission room of a university hospital, was found to have pain in the right…
- Which of the following refers to partial gastric resection?
- A 72-year-old patient reports pain in the region of the left iliac fossa, which has been present for the last 3 days, associated with fever of up to…
- A 64-year-old female presents at the Emergency Department due to sudden pain in her right groin, which appeared after lifting heavy groceries. On…
- A symptom that often occurs in patients with acute cholecystitis and features pain intensification during deep inhalation or limitation of…