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A 44-Year-Old Construction Worker Comes to the Emergency Department with Nausea

question 39

Multiple Choice

A 44-year-old construction worker comes to the emergency department with nausea and fatigue over the last 2 days. He strained his back at work 7 days ago. He could not move for several days and took over-the-counter painkillers and applied hot packs. The patient still has significant back pain and limited mobility. He smokes 1 pack of cigarettes a day. He drinks alcohol daily and heavily on weekends. In addition, he also admits to using intravenous heroin on occasion.
He was hospitalized for pneumonia 6 months ago and treated with intravenous antibiotics. The echocardiogram during that admission showed normal left ventricular systolic function, mildly dilated right ventricle, and mild pulmonary hypertension.
His temperature is 37.2° C (99° F) , blood pressure is 94/50 mm Hg, and pulse is 112/min. There is mild scleral icterus. Several needle tracks are seen on both forearms. No heart murmurs are present. The lungs are clear. There is no abdominal distention. Moderate right upper-quadrant tenderness is present. The spleen is not palpable. There is no peripheral edema.
Laboratory results are as follows:

Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's current condition?

Definitions:

Weighted-Average Method

An inventory costing method that averages the cost of goods available for sale, used to determine the cost of goods sold and ending inventory.

Mixing Department

A specific section within a manufacturing setup where materials are combined to produce a product.

Equivalent Units

An approach in process costing that transforms units that are only partly finished into an equivalent number of entirely completed units, facilitating accounting procedures.

First-In, First-Out Method

An accounting method for valuing inventory where the first items purchased are the first ones removed from inventory, reflecting costs in the order they were incurred.