What are your thoughts about diagnosis? 2)What are the next steps you would want to take to narrow the diagnosis? What questions do you want to ask the patient or diagnostic tests do you want to take?

Question

A 65yr old male construction worker comes to the Emergency Department alone. His main complaint is incontinence of both bladder and bowel of 10 hrs duration. He also complains of right lumbar pain and paresthesia of medial femoral regions bilaterally. He appears to have muscle weakness in that his gait is altered. He is not febrile. He was released from the hospital 3 weeks ago after having been admitted for COVID-19 during which time he received oxygen and other supportive treatments and was released after 4 days. Past medical history is otherwise unremarkable.

Answer 1

i would want to know what he was treated with while in the hospital- specifically any antibiotics that may have been administered or prescribed. the paresthesia sounds like it is along a dermatomal distribution pattern which could be injury induced