How to interview a patient with leg swelling
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
One swollen leg points to a local cause such as a clot; both legs point to the heart, liver, kidneys or medicines.
Step by step
Introduce yourself and get consent
Ask the patient to show you the legs. [1]
One leg or both?
One leg, especially with pain and redness, raises concern for a deep vein clot. [2]
Onset
Sudden or slow, after a trip, surgery, injury or bed rest. [2]
Breathing and chest
Shortness of breath or chest pain with a swollen leg can mean a clot in the lungs: urgent. [3]
Heart, liver, kidney
Breathless lying flat, weight gain, belly swelling, foamy urine, known heart, liver or kidney disease. [3]
Medicines
Calcium channel blockers (for example amlodipine), steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, hormones. [3]
Clot risk
Cancer, pregnancy, birth control pills, past clots, family history. [3]
Summarize and plan
Name the likely cause and the next step. [1]
Common errors
- Missing a clot in a single swollen leg.
- Not asking about breathing.
- Forgetting amlodipine as a cause.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
- AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
- NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations
- NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
Facts and steps follow NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations; NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.