Station - Instructions for candidate
You are a fourth-year medical student on placement at a general practice in Girrawheen.
Danny Tran, a 38-year-old warehouse supervisor, saw the GP three weeks ago with indigestion and was sent for a breath test. He has come back for the result, which is printed on your sheet.
| Practice record | Four months of epigastric burning and bloating after meals. No regular medications. No known allergies recorded. HR 72, BP 124/78, BMI 27. Breath test requested; patient advised to stop antacids for 2 weeks before the test. |
|---|
Results provided:
Urea breath test (13C)
| Item | Value | Reference range |
|---|---|---|
| 13C urea breath test | POSITIVE - delta over baseline 18.4 per mil | Negative <4.0 per mil |
Laboratory comment: consistent with active Helicobacter pylori infection. Patient reported no proton pump inhibitor or antibiotic use in the preceding 2 weeks.
Your tasks are to:
- Take a focused history.
- Interpret the result and explain it to Mr Tran.
- Counsel Mr Tran about the treatment.
- Discuss your management plan with Mr Tran.
- You do NOT need to examine the patient.
- You do NOT need to summarise your findings to the examiner.
This is a 10-minute station, with 2 minutes of reading time.