Welcome to the Life in the Fast lane clinical case collection… The home of the LITFL case-based Q&A series.
We have gathered over 200 clinical cases in question and answer format and alliterated their titles for your literary pleasure. Use the ‘column sort‘ option or the ‘search‘ box to find clinical cases to test your knowledge
Also check out additional clinical cases such as
Topic | Title / Keywords | LITFL Link |
|---|---|---|
| Anesthetic | Pediatric Procedural Sedation, Ketamine, Anaesthesia, Pain, laryngospasm | Addler 001 |
| Bone and Joint | Compound ankle fracture dislocation | Bamboozler 001 |
| Bone and Joint | Muscular Claustrophobia, compartment syndrome, fracture tibia | Bamboozler 002 |
| Bone and Joint | Trauma, volar Barton fracture | Bamboozler 003 |
| Bone and Joint | Bennett fracture, Edward Halloran Bennett, trauma, skier, fracture | Bamboozler 004 |
| Bone and Joint | transcaphoid perilunate fracture-dislocation | Bamboozler 005 |
| Cardiology | Broken-Hearted Chest Drain, Intercostal Tube vs Left Ventricle | Curveball 001 |
| Cardiology | Sudden Onset Blue Leg, Phlegmasia Cerulea Dolens | Curveball 002 |
| Cardiology | Cardiac Megacode, Cardiac arrest, R-on-T, HOCM and Hypokalaemia | Curveball 003 |
| Cardiology | SomethingÛªs Not Right, Right-sided aortic arch | Curveball 004 |
| Cardiology | Intra-aortic balloon pump, overview, IABP | Curveball 005 |
| Cardiology | The Paradoxical Alternative, Pericardial tamponade, electrical alternans and pulsus parodoxus | Curveball 006 |
| Cardiology | Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump Trouble-Shooting, IABP | Curveball 007 |
| Cardiology | DeBakeyÛªs Dissection, Aortic Dissection | Curveball 008 |
| Cardiology | Tetraology Of Fallot And BT Shunts, Blalock-Tausig shunt | Curveball 009 |
| Cardiology | Cement Embolism, PVP | Curveball 010 |
| Cardiology | Bedside Echo in Pulmonary Embolism | Curveball 011 |
| Cardiology | No Radial Pulse, Raynauds phenomenon | Curveball 012 |
| Dermatology | Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome | Dilemma 001 |
| Dislocations | Isolated Volar Distal Ulnar Dislocation | Dislocation 001 |
| Dislocations | Posterior Shoulder Dislocation | Dislocation 002 |
| Dislocations | Sternoclavicular Joint Dislocation | Dislocation 003 |
| Dislocations | lunate dislocation with scaphoid fracture | Dislocation 004 |
| Dislocations | Elbow Dislocation | Dislocation 005 |
| Dislocations | Patella Dislocation | Dislocation 006 |
| Dislocations | Missed posterior shoulder dislocation | Dislocation 007 |
| Dislocations | Scapho-lunate dissociation, Terry Thomas Sign | Dislocation 008 |
| ECG | An Electrocardiographic Exigency | Exigency 001 |
| ECG | Pain Free And In VT? | Exigency 002 |
| ECG | Risky Rhythyms | Exigency 003 |
| ECG | Puzzling Paroxysmal Palpitations | Exigency 004 |
| ECG | Marathon-Related ECG Exasperation | Exigency 005 |
| ECG | Seizures, Somnolence And A Scary ECG | Exigency 006 |
| ECG | A Subtle Sign Of Something Sinister | Exigency 007 |
| ECG | Sudden Syncope On The Soccer Field | Exigency 008 |
| ECG | Flummoxing Familial Fibrillation | Exigency 009 |
| ECG | Troubling Tachycardia | Exigency 010 |
| ECG | Post-Op Pacing Puzzler | Exigency 011 |
| ECG | Metabolic Mayhem | Exigency 012 |
| ENT | Nasty Sore Throat, retropharngeal abscess | Equivocation 001 |
| ENT | My Throat Hurts, inflamed pharynx with enlarged tonsils and prominent exudate | Equivocation 002 |
| Environmental | Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia | Enigma 001 |
| Environmental | High Altitude Illness | Enigma 002 |
| Gastrointestinal | Gastroenterology, GI surgery, Hepatobiliary disease, Nutrition, Epiploic appendagitis | Gutwrencher 001 |
| Gastrointestinal | Gut ache or Gordian knot, Small bowel obstruction, paraduodenal internal hernia | Gutwrencher 002 |
| Gastrointestinal | A Lesson in History, hyperbilirubinemia, transaminitis, hepatocellular, hepatitic, khat | Gutwrencher 003 |
| Haematology | Dealing with D-dimer debacles | Hoodwinker 001 |
| Haematology | Recombinant Factor VIIa to the rescue | Hoodwinker 002 |
| Haematology | Managing the Critical Bleeder, Massive Transfusion | Hoodwinker 003 |
| Immunology | Traumatic angioedema | Discombobulation 001 |
| Immunology | Sulfa Drug Discombobulation | Discombobulation 002 |
| Immunology | Palpable purpura, rash, leukocytoclastic, Wegener | Discombobulation 003 |
| Injury | Devil's Horn Sign, Hand, Extensor tendon | Insidious 001 |
| Laboratory | HAGMA, LTKR, CATMUDPILES | Tester 001 |
| Laboratory | Seizures, hyponatremia and ADH | Tester 003 |
| Laboratory | metabolic acidosis, HAGMA, Fulminant hepatic failure | Tester 004 |
| Metabolic | Pyroglutamic acidosis, raised anion gap, HAGMA, 5-oxoprolinemia | Muddle 004 |
| Metabolic | Diabetic ketoacidosis, hypernatremia, raised anion gap | Muddle 005 |
| Metabolic | Hyperammonaemia, ammonia | Muddle 001 |
| Metabolic | Waxing and Waning Weakness, Hypokalemic periodic paralysis | Muddle 002 |
| Metabolic | Mixed Metabolic Acidosis, CAT-MUDPILES | Muddle 003 |
| Microbial | community acquired pneumonia, CAP | Mystery 003 |
| Microbial | Escaping bugs, ESCAPPM, infection, pyelonephritis | Mystery 004 |
| Microbial | Fever in a spinal patient, Meningitis | Mystery 005 |
| Microbial | Infectious disease, Neurology, Meningococcal meningitis | Mystery 001 |
| Microbial | Infectious disease, Respiratory, Pneumococcal pneumonia | Mystery 002 |
| Minor | Subungual Haematoma, procedure, hematoma, nail, drainage | Injury 001 |
| Minor | Head Injury, trauma, concussion | Injury 002 |
| Minor | Boxer fracture, 5th metacarpal, hand injury | Injury 003 |
| Minor | tooth avulsion, teeth, socket, trauma | Injury 004 |
| Minor | trauma, shoulder, fracture, clavicle | Injury 005 |
| Minor | Patella dislocation, trauma, knee, patellar | Injury 006 |
| Minor | nail gun injury, finger trauma, foreign body | Injury 007 |
| Minor | Parnoychia, nail bed, infection, procedure, drainage | Injury 006 |
| Minor | patella tendon rupture, trauma, knee | Injury 007 |
| Minor | Epistaxis, nose bleed, anatomy, nose, nasal, ENT | Injury 008 |
| Minor | Nasal fracture, nose, trauma, ENT | Injury 009 |
| Minor | superficial burns | Injury 010 |
| Minor | Nasal foreign body, FB, procedure, ENT | Injury 011 |
| Minor | Sternum, trauma, fracture | Injury 012 |
| Minor | Skier thumb, gamekeeper, thumb trauma, fracture, ulnar collateral ligament | Injury 013 |
| Minor | Ankle sprains, trauma, ankle | Injury 014 |
| Neurology | HIV brain mass | Mind-boggler 001 |
| Neurology | Coma with small pupils | Mind-boggler 002 |
| Neurology | Brainstem lesions, Brainstem Rules of 4 | Mind-boggler 003 |
| Neurology | Brainstem lesions, Brainstem Rules of 4 | Mind-boggler 004 |
| Neurology | Pseudobulbar and bulbar palsies | Mind-boggler 005 |
| Neurology | Coma in a spinal patient | Mind-boggler 006 |
| Neurology | Eye movements, coma and pseudocoma, Glasgow Coma Score, GCS | Mind-boggler 007 |
| Neurology | Look left, look right, Unilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia, INO | Mind-boggler 008 |
| Neurology | Bullet in the Head | Mind-boggler 009 |
| Neurology | Ballistically Potent Vertigo, Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, BPPV | Mind-boggler 010 |
| Obstetric | An Obstetric Bleeder | Obfuscation 001 |
| Oncology | Lung metastasis from the hip, Hemithoracic Û÷white-outÛª, small blue round cell tumour | Quandary 001 |
| Oncology | Testicular cancer, metastatic, cannon ball, mets | Quandary 003 |
| Oncology | Ovarian cancer, re-expansion pulmonary oedema, Meigs syndrome | Quandary 004 |
| Ophthalmology | Befuddling Pupillary Asymmetry, anisocoria, prosthesis, prosthetic eye, Holmes-Adie pupil, miosis, mydriasis | Case 001 |
| Ophthalmology | The Red Eye Challenge, red eye, iritis, conjunctivitis, eyelid disease, glaucoma, keratitis, uveititis, corneal abrasion, corneal foreign body | Case 002 |
| Ophthalmology | An Eyelid Lump, chalazion, hordeolum, stye, eyelid lump | Case 003 |
| Ophthalmology | The Man Who Blinked Too Much, blinking, blepharospasm | Case 004 |
| Ophthalmology | Exasperating Eyelids And The Red Eye, blepharitis, meibomitis, dacrocystitis, canaliculitis, ectropion, entropion | Case 005 |
| Ophthalmology | Coughing Kid And Blood Red Eye, Subconjunctival hemorrhage | Case 006 |
| Ophthalmology | Blind, Aching And Vomiting, glaucoma, angle closure, acute, open angle, chronic, cupping | Case 007 |
| Ophthalmology | A Curtain Descends, Retinal detachment | Case 008 |
| Ophthalmology | That Optic Disc DoesnÛªt Look Right, Optic neuritis, papilloedema, optic atrophy, pseudopapilloedema, papilitis | Case 009 |
| Ophthalmology | Something In My Eye Doc, Corneal foreign body | Case 010 |
| Ophthalmology | A Pox On Your Eye, herpes zoster ophthalmicus, corneal ulcer, vesicular rash | Case 011 |
| Ophthalmology | Flashing And Floating, Posterior vitreous detachment, haemorrhage | Case 012 |
| Ophthalmology | Eyes Wide Split, lens dislocation, penetrating, eye trauma | Case 013 |
| Ophthalmology | Blowout fracture, orbital, blow out, fracture, trauma, wall, rim | Case 014 |
| Ophthalmology | The Ocular Ultrasound Challenge, ocular ultrasound, sonography, trauma, lens dislocation, retinal detachment, papilloedema, vitreous hemorrhage, globe rupture | Case 015 |
| Ophthalmology | The Aching Red Photophobic Eye, Uveitis, iritis, cyclitis, choroiditis | Case 016 |
| Ophthalmology | Pupils And Prostitutes, Argyll Robertson Pupils, syphilis, PArinaud syndrome, midbrain lesions | Case 017 |
| Ophthalmology | Blinded By The Light, UV, ultraviolet, keratitis, keratopathy, snow blindness, welder's arc, burns | Case 018 |
| Ophthalmology | The Eye In Chemical, chemical keratitis, alkali, acid, superglue, eye injury, irrigation, pH | Case 019 |
| Ophthalmology | A Gritty Sticky Red Eye, conjunctivitis, viral, allergic, bacterial, chlamydia, gonococcal | Case 020 |
| Ophthalmology | Stressed And Branching Out, HSV, herpes simplex virus, keratitis, dendritic ulcer | Case 021 |
| Ophthalmology | YouÛªre Blind And Your Hair Is A Mess, giant cell arteritis, temporal arteritis, anterior ischemic optic neuropathy | Case 022 |
| Ophthalmology | The Goggle-Eyed Fisherman, Orbital cellulitis, post-septal, periorbital, paediatrics, infection | Case 023 |
| Ophthalmology | I Can See Clearly Now, amaurosis fugax, ocular ischemic syndrome, transient visual loss | Case 024 |
| Ophthalmology | More Befuddling Pupillary Asymmetry, Horner's syndrome, anisocoria | Case 025 |
| Ophthalmology | A Man Of Singular Vision, retinal artery occlusion, CRAO, central, branch, ophthalmic artery occlusion | Case 026 |
| Ophthalmology | A Woman Of Singular Vision, Central, branch, retinal vein occlusion, CRVO | Case 027 |
| Ophthalmology | Out Of Sight, amaurosis fugax, papilloedema, glaucoma, vision loss, blindness | Case 028 |
| Ophthalmology | Bump And Blur, lens, dislocation, trauma, ectopia lentis | Case 029 |
| Ophthalmology | Half An 8 Ball, hyphaema, traumatic iritis | Case 030 |
| Ophthalmology | Blunt Trauma To The Eye, blunt trauma, eye, commotio retinae, traumatic, iritis, mydriasis, Iridodialysis | Case 031 |
| Ophthalmology | Another Poke In The Eye, Corneal abrasion | Case 032 |
| Ophthalmology | Bashed, Blind And Bulging, Retrobulbar hemorrhage, trauma, orbital compartment syndrome | Case 033 |
| Ophthalmology | Lid Cracked Open, eyelid laceration, trauma, pediatric | Case 034 |
| Pediatric | Would you like FPIES with that? | Perplexity 015 |
| Pediatric | Horrible Spots and Pain, Henoch Schoenlein Purpura, vasculitis | Perplexity 013 |
| Pediatric | Weak and vomiting: an endocrine emergency, Adrenal insufficiency, Addison's disease | Perplexity 012 |
| Pediatric | penile zipper entrapment | Perplexity 011 |
| Pediatric | Ds and Vs, and can't stand up, Gastroenteritis, Hypokalemia, weakness, fluid replacement | Perplexity 010 |
| Pediatric | Baby TimÛªs Cries, colic, crying, baby, infant, pain | Perplexity 009 |
| Pediatric | Needing a Diagnostic Kick-start, Kawasaki disease, fever | Perplexity 008 |
| Pediatric | Perilous Pinhead Polka-dots, petechiae, purpura, rash, meningococcemia, Henoch Schonlein Purpura, sepsis, vascilitis | Perplexity 007 |
| Pediatric | Splat! A vomiting infant, pyloric stenosis, hypochloremic metabolic acidosis | Perplexity 006 |
| Pediatric | foreign body, respiratory tract, lower, aspiration | Perplexity 005 |
| Pediatric | Time to tighten those sphincters, airway obstruction, inhalational induction, difficult airway, stridor, croup | Perplexity 004 |
| Pediatric | Newborn with Hypercyanotic Episodes, tetralogy, Fallot, tet spell, hypercyanotic episode, congenital, cyanosis | Perplexity 003 |
| Pediatric | Hemolysis and renal failure in a toddler, atypical, hemolytic uremic syndrome, hemolysis, renal failure, thrombocytopenia | Perplexity 002 |
| Pediatric | Hyperammoniacal Encephalopathy, Reye syndrome, encephalopathy, hyperammonemia | Perplexity 001 |
| Pulmonary | Influenza (swine-origin H1N1 2009) | Puzzler 001 |
| Pulmonary | Pulmonary Embolism and Antiphospholipid Syndrome | Puzzler 002 |
| Pulmonary | Ruptured Oesophagus, Boerhaarve's syndrome | Puzzler 003 |
| Pulmonary | S. pyogenes pneumonia complicating Swine Flu | Puzzler 004 |
| Pulmonary | Re-expansion pulmonary oedema | Puzzler 005 |
| Pulmonary | Ruptured oesophagus, swine flu, ARDS, influenza | Puzzler 006 |
| Pulmonary | Type 2 respiratory failure with coma | Puzzler 007 |
| Pulmonary | Rapidly progressive respiratory failure, Type 1, pneumonitis | Puzzler 008 |
| Pulmonary | Lung collapse, recruitment and bronchoscopy | Puzzler 009 |
| Pulmonary | Extraordinary Cries, laryngoscopy, Vocal cord dysfunction, VCD, paradoxical vocal cord motion, PVCM | Puzzler 010 |
| Pulmonary | resistance futile, infection, consolidation, pneumonia | Puzzler 011 |
| Pulmonary | Man versus Machine, DOPES, hypoxia, intubated | Puzzler 012 |
| Pulmonary | Bronchospastic Blood Pressure Badness, brochospasm, dynamic hyperinflation, asthma, intubated, ventilated | Puzzler 013 |
| Pulmonary | Alarmingly high pressures, ventilation | Puzzler 014 |
| Pulmonary | Puffed Post-Tracheostomy, pneumomediastinum | Puzzler 015 |
| Pulmonary | Puzzling out the PERC rule | Puzzler 016 |
| Renal | AAA, Aortic aneurysm, rhabdomyolysis | Riddle 001 |
| Resuscitation | He Simply Looks Sick, aortic emergency | Resus 001 |
| Resuscitation | Seizing and No Access!!!, intraosseous access | Resus 002 |
| Resuscitation | Choose Your Own Resus Adventure, ACLS, end of life, CPR | Resus 003 |
| Resuscitation | Does Roc rock? Does Sux suck?, rocuronium, suxamethonium, rapid sequence intubation, neuromuscular blocker | Resus 004 |
| Resuscitation | To thoracotomy, or not to thoracotomy?, emergency thoracotomy, trauma | Resus 005 |
| To Err is Human | Entrapment, Patient Safety, Decision-making, Medical Error | Error 001 |
| To Err is Human | Are you Satisficed, | Error 002 |
| Toxicology | Toxicology, toxinology, envenoming, overdose, poisoning, clinical cases | Conundrums |
| Trauma | Right Main Bronchus Tooth | Tribulation 001 |
| Trauma | Blood clot occluding right upper lobe bronchus | Tribulation 002 |
| Trauma | Traumatic Brain Injury | Tribulation 003 |
| Trauma | Diaphragmatic rupture | Tribulation 004 |
| Trauma | Full thickness burns and Escharotomy | Tribulation 005 |
| Trauma | Trauma And Pregnancy | Tribulation 006 |
| Trauma | Trauma And Pregnancy Redux | Tribulation 007 |
| Trauma | A MotorcyclistÛªs Irreparable Injury | Tribulation 008 |
| Trauma | High Pressure-Injection Injury | Tribulation 009 |
| Trauma | Hot Lips, oral commissure burn | Tribulation 010 |
| Trauma | Microwave Meltdown | Tribulation 011 |
| Trauma | Digital rectal examination | Tribulation 012 |
| Trauma | Major Trauma Overview and Preparation | Tribulation 013 |
| Trauma | Trauma initial assessment and management | Tribulation 014 |
| Trauma | Traumatic Brain Injury | Tribulation 015 |
| Trauma | Managing spinal trauma | Tribulation 016 |
| Trauma | Life-threatening chest trauma | Tribulation 017 |
| Trauma | Managing potentially life-threatening chest trauma | Tribulation 018 |
| Trauma | Assessing the Abdomen | Tribulation 019 |
| Trauma | Abdominal Injuries | Tribulation 020 |
| Trauma | Genitourinary Injuries | Tribulation 021 |
| Trauma | Blunt Abdominal Trauma Decision Making | Tribulation 023 |
| Trauma | Penetrating Abdominal Injury | Tribulation 024 |
| Trauma | Major Haemorrhage | Tribulation 019 |
| Trauma | Massive Transfusion | Tribulation 026 |
| Trauma | Pelvic Fractures I | Tribulation 027 |
| Trauma | Pelvic Fractures II | Tribulation 028 |
| Trauma | Extremity Injuries | Tribulation 029 |
| Trauma | Extremity Arterial Hemorrhage | Tribulation 030 |
| Trauma | Little Wound, Long Knife, stab wound, chest | Tribulation 031 |
| Tropical | Fever, Rash and a Vuvuzela, measles | Troubles 001 |
| Urine | Orange urine, rifampicin | Unusual 001 001 |
| Urine | Green urine, creme de mint | Unusual 002 |
| Urine | Green urine, Propofol Infusion Syndrome | Unusual 003 |
| Urine | Brown urine, Rhabdomyolysis, Myoglobinuria | Unusual 004 |
| Urine | purple urine, indoxyl sulfate, indirubin, Providencia stuartii | Unusual 005 |
About Mike Cadogan
