Rearfoot / Ankle · Trauma · Medicine & Peri-op · Standard
Kitchen Slip
Podiatric surgery residency interview case. Work through it the way you would at an interview: take the history, ask for the exam and imaging, then commit to a diagnosis and plan.
Chief complaint
"My ankle rolled when my knee gave out and now it's swollen and painful."
62-year-old female seen in the emergency department after a slip and fall at home.
History of present illness
Slipped in her kitchen this morning. Her right knee buckled and the right ankle rolled inward as she went down. The ankle became swollen and painful. She iced it before coming in.
- No syncope, loss of consciousness or presyncopal symptoms
- Fall was mechanical (knee buckled), not a medical collapse
- Unable to bear weight on the right leg
- No open wound reported
Questions a strong candidate asks at this step
- Mechanism: exact position of the foot, direction of the force (inversion/eversion, rotation), height of fall
- Syncope, LOC, dizziness, chest pain, palpitations (why did she fall?)
- Head strike or other injuries (ankle fracture can be a distracting injury)
- Time of injury, ability to bear weight, onset of swelling
- Pain level and location; numbness, tingling, color change in the toes
- Open wound or bleeding; tetanus status
Present the rest of the case
Past history, exam, imaging, assessment, plan and discussion questions, with model answers, are in the interactive trainer. The diagnosis is kept there on purpose so you can practice committing to one.