An 81-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Physician Due to a Recent

question 310

Multiple Choice

An 81-year-old man is brought to the physician due to a recent fall.  Three days ago, he stumbled on a rug in his living room and fell to the floor.  He had no dizziness or loss of consciousness prior to the event and did not hit his head.  He says that he only slipped, but his wife is concerned about the possibility of his falling again.  The patient's other medical problems include hypertension and a history of stroke 10 years ago.  His medications include aspirin, atorvastatin, and lisinopril.  He lives independently with his wife.  The patient's vital signs, including orthostatics, are within normal limits.  Physical examination, including vision, cranial nerves, sensation, and reflexes, shows no abnormalities.  No bruises or other superficial lesions are present.  After evaluating medication use, alcohol use, appropriate footwear, and home environmental factors, which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

• A)Conduct ambulatory cardiac monitoring (Holter monitor)
• B)Discontinue aspirin
• C)Order serum electrolytes, chemistry panel, and complete blood count
• D)Perform "Get Up and Go" test
• E)Refer to emergency department for noncontrast head CT scan

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Definitions:

Beta

An indicator of how much the risk or instability of a security or portfolio deviates from the broader market.

Standard Deviation

A statistical measure of the dispersion of a set of data points from their mean, widely used in finance to quantify the variability of returns.

Required Return

The minimum expected return an investor demands for investing in a particular asset, considering the risk involved.

Correlation Coefficients

Statistical measures that indicate the extent to which two variables fluctuate together.