Difficulty swallowing: Differential Diagnosis by Symptom Pattern

• •Character of pain and exertional trigger
• •Hemodynamic instability, pulse pattern, and blood pressure
• •ECG and cardiac biomarkers trend

• •Pain location and relation to meals
• •Stool pattern (watery, bloody, greasy) and vomiting profile
• •Associated systemic signs such as fever or jaundice

• •Constitutional symptoms (weight loss, night sweats, fatigue)
• •Persistent or progressive pattern without clear acute trigger
• •Abnormal blood counts and imaging findings

• •Fever pattern and inflammatory signs
• •Exposure history, travel risk, and host immunity
• •Organ-localized signs vs systemic sepsis pattern

• •Pattern of cough, dyspnea, and pleuritic pain
• •Oxygen saturation and respiratory rate
• •Auscultation findings and imaging pattern

Immediate testing when red flags are present

• •Vital signs and focused triage examination
• •Pulse oximetry and ECG
• •Basic blood panel (CBC, CRP, electrolytes, glucose)
• •Immediate imaging based on dominant red flags

Group-directed workup

• •ECG
• •Troponin
• •Blood pressure in both arms
• •Echocardiography when indicated
• •CBC / CRP
• •Liver panel and lipase
• •Stool tests
• •Abdominal ultrasound