PATRICK'S CASE
INTERACTIVE CASE #1
Case Introduction
Patrick is a 24-year-old school teacher who has a history of asthma. He has been feeling sick and tired for the past two days. SEE HIS SYMPTOMS BELOW.
SHORTNESS OF BREATH
COUGHING
CHEST PAIN
HOT & COLD
In addition to feeling tired, Patrick has trouble breathing and is experiencing left-sided chest pain when he takes a deep breath. He also has been coughing up brown mucus and has fevers of up to 101.5º F with intermittent chills. Patrick decides to see the doctor.
Nurse
STEP TWO
PART 1
Think about it:
What is oxygen saturation?
SOURCE: MedicineNet
A nurse uses an electronic device called a pulse oximeter to measure oxygen saturation. A protein called hemoglobin carries oxygen in blood. Oxygen saturation is the fraction of oxygenated hemoglobin relative to total hemoglobin. Normal oxygen saturation is 95-100%. A low oxygen saturation can indicate lung disease, which is detrimental because hemoglobin is not transporting enough oxygen to the rest of your body.
SOURCE: "The Medisana finger pulse oximeter measures blood oxygen saturation levels and heart rate" by verchmarco is licensed under CC BY 2.0
PART 2
Answer questions related to the video and receive a key that you can use to open the vault. Good luck!
Primary Care Doctor
STEP THREE
PART 1
Think about it:
What is the structure
of a human lung?
The trachea is the major wind pipe that transports air to the lungs. The trachea divides into the right and left bronchus, which branches into smaller tubes called bronchi in the lungs. Then, the bronchi divide into even smaller tubes called bronchioles. Finally, the bronchioles lead to alveoli, where gas exchange takes place. Oxygen diffuses into the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide diffuses from the bloodstream into the lungs.
Figure 1
Bronchioles leading to alveoli, where gas exchange occurs.
Figure 2
This is the anatomy of the human lung. Can you spot where the bronchi divide into bronchioles? Test yourself to see if you know the anatomy!
PART 2
Answer questions related to the video and receive a key that you can use to open the vault. Good luck!
Medical Lab Technician
or "Clinical Laboratory Scientist"
STEP FOUR
PART 1
Think about it:
What does a lab technician look for?
Gram Staining
Gram staining is a method to identify different types of bacteria. It involves staining the bacterial wall with crystal violet dye and then decolorizing the dye with acetone or alcohol. Depending on the composition of its wall, the bacteria will retain the crystal violet color or lose it after the decolorizer. Gram positive bacteria, such as Streptococcus Pneumoniae, retain the crystal violet and appear purple while gram negative bacteria appear red because the crystal violet washes out.
Example of a Gram Stain
Gram Stain of Patrick’s Sputum
SOURCE: "Gram stain demonstration slide, 1,000x 1" by Marc Perkins - OCC Biology Department is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
SOURCE: "Streptococcus pneumoniae" by Microbe World is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
PART 2
Answer questions related to the video and receive a key that you can use to open the vault. Good luck!
X-Ray Technologist
STEP FIVE
PART 1:
Patrick sees the X-ray technologist.
Think about it:
What does an X-ray technologist look for?
X-ray technologists are specially trained healthcare workers who use X-ray equipment to take images of different parts of the human body to help diagnose diseases. X-ray is a form of radiation that can be used for medical imaging. Because of its high energy, X-rays can penetrate tissues of the body to varying degrees. If the X-ray penetrates the tissue well (i.e. lungs), then the tissue appears black on the image. If the X-ray does not penetrate the tissue well (i.e. bones), then it appears white.
PART 2
Answer questions related to the video and receive a key that you can use to open the vault. Good luck!
Use the images below to help you answer the questions.
FRONTAL VIEW:
NORMAL CHEST X-RAY
FRONTAL VIEW: PATRICK'S CHEST X-RAY
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Pharmacist
STEP SIX
PART 1
Think about it:
What is penicillin?
Penicillin
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics extracted from Penicillium Notatum, which is the mold growing on the orange in the figure. Dr. Alexander Fleming, a biologist living in London, accidentally discovered the mold in his lab in 1928. He observed that a Petri dish contaminated with the mold killed off bacteria and became the first to use the mold to create a drug for bacterial infections.
SOURCE: Live Science
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SOURCE: "blue orange" by mrs. scrapygraphics is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
PART 2
Answer questions related to the video and receive a key that you can use to open the vault. Good luck!
