The patient was an elderly woman visiting her physician with complaints of heart palpitations. A routine office evaluation revealed significant anemia. She had not been eating well because she had recently moved from her home of 30 years. After admission to the hospital, a cardiologist completed a consultation suggesting that the palpitations were probably due to the anemia. During the gastrointestinal workup, mild gastritis was revealed. After a transfusion of two units of packed red blood cells into the peripheral vein (percutaneous approach), her hemoglobin returned to normal range. The patient was discharged to the nursing home with a prescription for Zantac to control her gastritis.
Discharge Diagnosis Included: Nutritional Anemia, Gastritis
