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Pneumonia DEFINITION: An
inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection.
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RELATED
DIAGNOSTIC TESTS: Crackles
are heard when listening to the chest with a stethoscope (auscultation).
Tests include: chest X-ray, sputum gram stain, CBC, arterial
blood gases. This disease
may also alter the results of the following tests: thoracic CT, routine sputum culture, pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan, pleural fluid culture, lung needle biopsy . |
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ETIOLOGY: Pneumonia is a
very common, serious illness and affects about 1 out of 100 people each year.
It is caused by many different organisms and can range in seriousness from
mild to life-threatening illness. There are different categories of
pneumonia. |
MEDICAL MANAGEMENT: The goal of
treatment is to cure the infection with antibiotics. If the pneumonia is caused by a
virus, antibiotics will not be effective. |
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PATHOPHYSIOLOGY: There
are different categories of pneumonia. Two of these types are hospital-acquired
and community-acquired. Common types of community-acquired pneumonia are
pneumococcal pneumonia and Mycoplasma pneumonia. In some people,
particularly the elderly and those who are debilitated, pneumonia may follow influenza.
Hospital-acquired
pneumonia tends to be more serious because defense mechanisms
against infection are often impaired. Some of the specific pneumonia-related
disorders include: aspiration
pneumonia, pneumonia in immunocompromised host
and viral pneumonia |
NURSING
MANAGEMENT: Ø Pt will need to have breath
sounds monitored q 4° to determine if pneumonia
is progressing. Ø O2 sats should be done
regularly ( at least q4°during acute phase) to make
sure that patient is getting adequate perfusion. Ø Make sure to give all
scheduled antibiotics on schedule so that therapeutic ranges are maintained. Ø Any s/s of infection must be monitored and
reported to MD. |
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SIGNS & SYMPTOMS: Cough (with mucus-like, greenish, or
pus-like sputum chills
with shaking ), fever, easy fatigue, chest pain (sharp or stabbing increased
by deep breathing or increased by coughing),
headache, loss of
appetite, nausea and vomiting,
general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise),
joint stiffness (rare), muscular stiffness (rare), rales Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease: shortness of breath, clammy skin, nasal flaring, coughing up blood, tacypnea, apnea, anxiety, stress, and tension, abdominal pain . |
HEALTH DEVIATION SELF-CARE REQUISITES: ü
Pt
will need to continue on scheduled antibiotics after discharge. Teaching may be necessary to inform
patient of therapeutic ranges and need to take all of meds, even if they are
feeling better. ü
Pt
will need to get a PneumonoVax (if does not all ready have0 to help prevent
future outbreaks of pneumonia. ü
Pt
will need to be taught S/S of infection and when to
report to MD. |
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REFERENCE PAGES: Pathophysiology, pages 1211-1213 |