You are working as a hospitalist physician assistant, rounding on patients in the intensive care unit. Your shift has nearly ended when you enter the room of your final patient, a 21-year-old Caucasian male in moderate distress with a history of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. While you monitor his health from a global perspective, you recall that the most common cause of death in individuals with this condition is:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is characterized by progressive loss of muscle strength, eventually resulting in loss of ambulation, loss of respiratory muscle strength, and death from respiratory insufficiency. The majority of patients also develop cardiomyopathy. While death often results from cardiomyopathy and respiratory complications, the majority of patients die from respiratory insufficiency.

You Are Working as a Hospitalist Physician Assistant, Rounding on Patients