The home health nurses visits a 72-year-old client with pneumonia who was discharged from the hospital 3 days ago. The client has less of a productive cough at night but now reports sharp chest pain with inspiration. Which finding is most important for the nurse to report to the health care provider?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pleurisy is characterized by stabbing chest pain that usually increases on inspiration or with cough. It is caused by inflammation of the visceral pleura (over the lung) and the parietal pleura (over the chest cavity). The pleural space (between the 2 layers) normally contains about 10 mL of fluid to help the layers glide easily with respiration. When inflamed, they rub together, causing pleuritic pain. A pleural friction rub is auscultated in the lateral lung fields over the area of inflammation. The sound is produced by the 2 layers rubbing together and can indicate pleurisy, a complication of pneumonia. It is characterized by squeaking, crackling, or the sound heard when the palm is placed over the ear and the back of the hand is rubbed with the fingers. Complications of pneumonia are more prevalent in elderly clients with underlying chronic disease. (Option A) Clients with consolidative lung processes (pneumonia) may also have bronchial breath sounds due to over-transmission of sound over the chest wall. Breath sounds are diminished or absent over a pleural effusion or pneumothorax. (Option B) Palpable vibration felt on the chest wall is known as fremitus. Sound travels faster in solids (consolidation) than in an aerated lung, resulting in increased fremitus in pneumonia. It is an expected finding in clients with pneumonia. It is concerning if decreased because the client may be developing pleural effusion. (Option C) Low-pitched wheezing (rhonchi) is a continuous adventitious breath sound heard over the large airways, usually during expiration. It indicates the presence of secretions in the larger airways and is an expected finding as pneumonia resolves. Educational objective: Pleurisy is characterized by stabbing pleuritic chest pain that increases on inspiration. It is a complication of pneumonia caused by inflamed parietal and visceral pleurae rubbing together.

The Home Health Nurses Visits a 72-Year-Old Client with Pneumonia