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When parents ask how to dose acetaminophenfor a child under 2 yearsof age, base the dosage on the child’sweight.

My patient is a woman in her midtwentieswho recently presented with anerythematous, slightly pruritic lesionon her thigh.

If patients who lift weights complainthat their teeth ache after lifting,advise them to wear a tooth guard.

An effective way to coax children tolie down for an abdominal examinationis to announce that you canguess what they ate for their lastmeal by feeling their belly-then invitethem to lie down so that you candemonstrate your powers.

Elderly patients with Alzheimer diseaseor dementia frequently refuseto be examined or have a physical.

A 64-year-old woman complainsof neck fullness that has increased inthe last few months. She has occasionaldyspnea but denies fever, cough, andhemoptysis. Hypertension is well-controlledwith propranolol.

To make a tool for checking nearvision, use glue to attach a spring clipto the end of a 16-inch-long 1/2-inchwooden dowel, then place a Snellennear vision card in the clip.

To remove impacted cerumen, attacha 16-gauge catheter to a 10-mL syringe(you may use a smaller or largersyringe if you prefer).

I usually collect a urine sample aspart of a complete physical examination.

An 84-year-old man complains of worsening angina pectoris that started3 months earlier. The patient has had aortic stenosis for about 10 years. Healso has diabetes, which is controlled with oral agents.

When a patient presents with a handinjury, here is a quick and simple wayto assess the integrity of the nervesthat supply the muscles in the hand.

Which antithrombotic regimen is most appropriate for apatient with systemic lupus erythematosus and anticardiolipinantibody syndrome who has had a previous infarct?

A 75-year-old man with coronaryartery disease presents to the emergencydepartment with abdominalpain and light-headedness. The painbegan as a dull ache 4 days earlierand recently became considerablyworse. The patient denies recenttrauma, fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Instead of shaving a patient’s head toprepare a scalp wound for suturing,apply a sterile water-based lubricantto the surrounding hair.

Long-standing chorioretinal scarring in both eyes didnot affect a 67-year-old woman’s vision. The scars wereroundish, irregular, and yellowish white with interior pigmentation(A and B).

A painful scalp eruption of 4 days’duration brings an 81-year-old man toyour office. He has taken a lipid-loweringagent and an antihypertensivefor years but has not started any newmedications recently. One week earlier,he had a haircut. He denies recenttrauma to the scalp.

When you need to obtain a specimenfor throat culture, ask the patient toexhale while you swab the pharynx.

A 76-year-old woman complains of gradually worsening back pain thatbegan 6 weeks earlier, after she fell off a ladder rung 3 feet from the ground(she landed on her feet). She is otherwise in good health and denies fever andloss of sensation or control in the lower extremities.