It is one of the most reflexive co-prescriptions in hospital medicine: a patient is started on corticosteroids, and almost in the same pen-stroke, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is added “for gastric protection.” It feels prudent, harmless, and defensible. But…
Courvoisier’s Law is a clinical observation, not a true physiological “law,” that aids in differentiating the cause of painless jaundice when associated with a palpable gallbladder. It was described by Swiss surgeon Ludwig Courvoisier in 1890. The “Law” States: “In…
The “I GET SMASHED” Mnemonic The two most common causes, gallstones and alcohol, account for the majority of cases, but the full mnemonic ensures that rarer—yet serious—causes are not overlooked: I – Idiopathic: For cases where a clear cause cannot…