A Perfect Storm

"A Perfect Storm" by William Janssen.
This clinical problem solving article concerns a 21-year-old male college student who presented to the student health center after two days of extreme fatigue. Over the course of the previous two months, frequent headaches, difficulty concentrating, and a decrease in his capacity for exercise had developed. He recently had had several days of nasal congestion and sore throat, but these symptoms had improved. A cursory physical examination showed no abnormalities, but his oxygen saturation on pulse oximetry was only 55 percent, which was most unexpected.
The blood gas values indicated a respiratory acidosis.
The discussant and clinical analysis examinee approached to the diagnosis in the patient with the evidence of hypoventilation.

"perfect storm"は、ほぼ"worst-case scenario"と同義である。1991年に合衆国東海岸を襲ったハリケーンやそれを題材とした小説、映画のタイトルとして日本においてもこの語法が認知されるようになった。