CAQ-EM case studies
CAQ-EM · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certificate of Added Qualification in Emergency Medicine (CAQ-EM) is the credential family physicians ask about when they want formal recognition of emergency care expertise on top of ABFM certification. This page is an independent study guide, not an official ABFM resource, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the American Board of Family Medicine. The CAQ-EM case studies are 5 cases and about 4,857 words.
1Tearing Interscapular Pain With a Widened Mediastinum
A 58-year-old man with a 12-year history of hypertension presents 45 minutes after the sudden onset of severe, tearing pain between the shoulder blades that began while lifting a box. He rates it 9/10 and says it radiates to the mid-back.
959 words, about 5 min2Drowsiness and Bradycardia During Pediatric DKA Treatment
A 9-year-old boy weighing 30 kg is brought in at 2 a.m. with 3 days of vomiting and abdominal pain and increasing sleepiness.
988 words, about 5 min3Tongue and Floor-of-Mouth Swelling on an ACE Inhibitor
A 64-year-old woman presents with 90 minutes of progressive tongue and lower-lip swelling. She has taken lisinopril 20 mg daily for 14 months and reports two earlier self-limited episodes of lip swelling that resolved within 24 hours without treatment.
948 words, about 5 min4Refractory Shock After a Massive Verapamil Overdose
A 34-year-old man is brought in 2 hours after ingesting roughly 40 sustained-release verapamil tablets of 240 mg each (about 9.6 g) in a suicide attempt, along with a pint of vodka. He is drowsy but protects his airway.
905 words, about 5 min5Head Strike on Apixaban in an Older Adult Who Lives Alone
An 81-year-old woman is brought in by her neighbor 90 minutes after a mechanical fall in her bathroom, where she struck the back of her head on the tile floor. There was no loss of consciousness and she did not vomit.
1,057 words, about 5 min