You respond to a 75-year-old female who is complaining of epigastric pain that feels like heartburn.The pain radiates to the right shoulder.Her vital signs are stable and she has a previous history of a myocardial infarction.She has prescription nitroglycerin tablets.She is most likely suffering from:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The symptoms of epigastric pain radiating to the right shoulder in a patient with a history of myocardial infarction are consistent with cholecystitis, inflammation of the gallbladder. Nitroglycerin tablets are not typically effective in treating cholecystitis. An abdominal aortic aneurysm would present with a pulsating abdominal mass and is less likely to cause epigastric pain. Mittelschmerz is ovulation pain and typically occurs midcycle in women of childbearing age. Renal colic presents with flank pain, not epigastric pain.

You Respond to a 75-Year-Old Female Who Is Complaining of Epigastric