Case Study Assignment
Directions: Below is a case study presentation of a patient with a condition covered in Chapter 10. Read the case study, and answer the questions below. Some questions will ask for information not included within this chapter. Use your textbook, a medical dictionary, or any other reference material you choose to answer these questions. Be sure to cite any outside sources, including the textbook, in APA format.
An 88-year-old female was seen in the physician's office complaining of SOB, dizziness, orthopnea, elevated temperature, and a productive cough. Lung auscultation revealed rales over the R bronchus. CXR revealed fluid in the RUL. The patient was sent to the hospital with an admitting diagnosis of pneumonia. Vital signs upon admission were: temperature 102°F, pulse 100 and rapid, respirations 24 and labored, blood pressure 180/110. She was treated with IV antibiotics and IPPB. She responded well to treatment and was released home to her family with oral antibiotics on the third day.
Critical Thinking Questions
Answer the questions below regarding this case study. Do not just copy words out of the case study; translate all medical terms. To answer some of these questions, you may need to look up information from another chapter of this textbook.
1. What is this patient's admitting diagnosis? Look this condition up in a reference source, and include a short description of it.
2. List and define each of the patient's presenting symptoms in your own words.
3. Define auscultation and CXR. Describe what each revealed in your own words.
4. What does the term "vital signs" mean? Describe the patient's vital signs in your own words.
5. Describe the treatments she received while in the hospital in your own words.
6. Explain the change in her medication when she was discharged home