A Patient with Confusion and Respiratory Failure

Question 1 of 1


 
A young patient with no medical problems was involved in a single car accident. The patient sustained pulmonary contusions, a femur fracture and clavicle fracture (see image of the broken femur above) . He was taken for intramedullary femur rodding on the same day.
The next day the patient developed increasing oxygen requirements, confusion and tachycardia. His Chest XR remained unchanged. CT Head did not show any evidence of any injury.

The patient likely had...

The patient is likely septic and should be started on antibiotics

The patient likely had fat embolism due to a long bone fracture and instrumentation. Supportive care is indicated

The patient should be ruled out for pulmonary embolism

Check MRI brain to rule out diffuse axonal injury