Approach to the Critical Patient

Immediate stabilization

Initial priorities

Immediate exclusions before labeling panic

High-risk symptom pattern triggers

Red flag triggers

Key concepts

Panic attack framing

History

Symptom characterization

Episode features

Triggers and context

Psychosocial context

Substance and medication factors

Risk factors for medical mimics

Cardiac risk

Thromboembolism risk

Endocrine risk

Respiratory risk

Psychiatric history and safety

Prior episodes

Baseline mental health

Safety screen

Physical Exam

Vital signs and general appearance

Physiologic status

General appearance

Focused cardiopulmonary and neurologic exam

Cardiovascular findings

Respiratory findings

Neurologic findings

PITFALLS

Common pitfalls

Differential Diagnosis

Life-threatening mimics

High acuity conditions

Common non-life-threatening mimics

Lower acuity conditions

Primary psychiatric diagnoses

Anxiety spectrum

Laboratory Tests

Core tests by presentation

Baseline labs when indicated

Targeted tests

Focused labs for specific mimics

Toxicology and exposure testing

Substance evaluation

Diagnostic Tests

Scoring Systems

Structured assessment tools

MRI

MRI role

CT

CT role

Ultrasound

POCUS applications

Disposition

Level of care decisions

Admission or observation indications

Discharge criteria

ED discharge readiness

Treatment

Nonpharmacologic measures

First-line de-escalation

Pharmacologic symptom relief

Benzodiazepines

Antihistamines

Beta blockers

Longer-term initiation and referral

Ongoing management planning

Evidence notes

Evidence and guideline alignment

Special Populations

Pregnancy

Pregnancy considerations

Geriatric

Older adult considerations

Pediatrics

Pediatric considerations

Background

Epidemiology

Frequency and patterns

Pathophysiology

Mechanisms

Therapeutic Considerations

Treatment rationale

Patient Discharge Instructions

copy discharge instructions

Discharge plan

References

Clinical guidelines and evidence sources

Key references

Decision support tools

Tools

SymptomDx is an educational tool for medical professionals. It does not replace clinical judgment. Verify all clinical data and drug dosages with authoritative sources.