Noisy breathing after surgery

Instructions

You are an intern on the surgical ward. It is 6 pm, and the nurse has called you urgently to see Judith Kearney, 46, who had her thyroid gland removed this afternoon and now has noisy breathing and a swollen neck.

1. 1

   Assess and manage the patient using an A to E approach

2. 2

   Outline to the examiner:

   • Your most likely diagnosis
   • Next steps in management, including relevant investigations

• A nurse at the bedside carries out your instructions. Talk the examiner through your actions, describing procedures.
• You do not need to take a full history
• You do not need to summarise your findings