Sofia Marquez

Attempt review · why, not just what

Sofia Marquez · Acute Dyspnea After Arthroplasty

Med-2 Clerkship · Student

Sofia reached a diagnosis but missed safety-critical signal — the errors below trace back to unpinned red flags and context.

Why these went wrong

Each error traced back to the pin decisions that caused it

Safety

Omitted Acute coronary syndrome — a can't-miss diagnosis

BecauseNever pinned “Heart Rate” and “Respiratory Rate”, so nothing prompted the dangerous-alternative sweep for this presentation.

Heart Rate· Safety red flagRespiratory Rate· Safety red flag

Treat Acute coronary syndrome as a must-exclude for this presentation — pin the context that makes it possible, then rule it in or out explicitly.

Safety

Omitted Aortic dissection — a can't-miss diagnosis

BecauseNever pinned “Heart Rate” and “Respiratory Rate”, so nothing prompted the dangerous-alternative sweep for this presentation.

Heart Rate· Safety red flagRespiratory Rate· Safety red flag

Treat Aortic dissection as a must-exclude for this presentation — pin the context that makes it possible, then rule it in or out explicitly.

Safety

Advanced to the workup with red flags unflagged

BecauseDid not pin “Heart Rate” and “Respiratory Rate” as safety red flags before ordering, so stabilisation was not prioritised over diagnosis.

Heart Rate· Safety red flagRespiratory Rate· Safety red flag

Flag the red flags first and stabilise before pursuing the diagnostic workup.

Safety

Selected a contraindicated action — Systemic thrombolysis (alteplase) in a haemodynamically s…

BecauseReached a plausible diagnosis but crossed a safety boundary in management — a knowledge-vs-action gap rather than a knowledge gap.

Rehearse the safety boundary for this presentation and the safe alternative before committing a plan.

Pin decisions vs. what mattered

The evidence behind the causal read

Pinned signalMissed signalFixated on distractor

Diagnostic clue

  • Pleuritic chest painPinned
  • Acute dyspneaPinned
  • Unilateral calf swellingPinned
  • Tachycardic, regular, no murmurPinned
  • Clear chest on auscultationPinned
  • Swollen, tender right calfPinned
  • D-dimerPinned
  • CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA)Pinned

Safety red flag

  • Heart RateMissed
  • Respiratory RateMissed
  • Oxygen SaturationMissed
  • Tachypnoeic and anxiousPinned
  • 12-lead ECG and continuous telemetry with repeat saturationsPinned

Context factor

  • Systolic Blood PressurePinned

Management modifier

  • Baseline CBC, creatinine and coagulation panelPinned
  • Platelet CountMissed
  • CreatinineMissed

Distractor

  • TemperatureFixated
  • HemoglobinCorrectly ignored

Differential outcome

Submitted vs. expected ranking

DiagnosisExpectedLearnerOutcome
Pulmonary embolismWorking diagnosis#1#2Misranked
Acute coronary syndromeCan't-miss#2Omitted
Aortic dissectionCan't-miss#4Omitted
Community-acquired pneumoniaReasonable alternative#3#1Misranked
Spontaneous pneumothoraxReasonable alternative#5#5Correct

Pin recall, by intent

  • Diagnostic clue
    8/8
  • Safety red flag
    2/5
  • Context factor
    1/1
  • Management modifier
    1/3
  • Distractor
    1/2pinned