A 42-year-old Hispanic woman complained of steady epigastric right upper abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting. She is febrile with a heart rate of 104 bpm, blood pressure of 115/74 mm Hg, and shallow respirations of 22 breaths per minute. Her skin is warm and diaphoretic, and she is jaundiced.

Her abdomen is soft and distended with right upper quadrant and epigastric tenderness. What is the probable diagnosis? After evaluating the patient’s signs and symptoms, the probable diagnosis likely corresponds to acute cholecystitis. It is marked by acute gallbladder inflammation, usually because a gallstone blocks the cystic duct (Gallaher & Charles, 2022). The patient had previously had episodic pain that occurred esp, especially with heavy meals, which may otherwise be a sign of choledocholithiasis. However, the sudden onset of pain that is persistent, fever, tachycardia, jaundice, and signs that may be suggestive of peritoneal irritation associated with muscle guarding and rebound tenderness suggest acute cholecystitis. What are other possible diagnoses? Other conditions that could be considered are choledocholithiasis, characterized by stones lodged in the common bile duct, and acute pancreatitis, which presents with extreme epigastric pain and increased pancreatic enzymes (Popat et al., 2022). These conditions present similar signs and symptoms as acute cholecystitis and should be included because of different etiology and complications. At this stage of the case study, what diagnostic studies and essential treatments are most appropriate to order and why? The diagnostic tests should cover a complete blood count (CBC) test to check for leukocytosis, which shows inflammation; liver function test and bilirubin level to establish