Sudden Severe Diffuse Abdominal in Medicine / Internal Medicine — 72yo Man | Cardiology | SMLE Q#19733
SMLE Question #19733
Medicine / Internal Medicine
Cardiology
Objective: OBJ-163
Last updated: April 2026
A 72-year-old man with long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension presents with sudden severe diffuse abdominal pain, distension, and peritonism and undergoes emergent exploratory laparotomy for an acute abdomen. Intraoperatively, a segment of small bowel appears infarcted, and an embolic source is considered. His preoperative ECG shows sinus rhythm, and transthoracic echocardiography shows normal left ventricular function with no intracardiac thrombus or valvular vegetation. What is the most appropriate next step to further evaluate a possible cardiac cause?
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