Royal Melbourne Hospital

  • 42-year-old man with bilateral community-acquired pneumonia. Clinical signs included subcutaneous emphysema of his upper trunk. Candidates were told that he had been ventilated for one week in ICU for severe hypoxaemic respiratory failure and were asked to assess his prognosis overall. Discussion points included the management plan, causes of the subcutaneous emphysema, deranged liver function and thrombocytopaenia.