A 45-year-old female presents to the emergency department. She reports the onset of a sore throat, cough and rhinorrhea about five days ago. She is now experiencing weakness in her arms and difficulty breathing. She is evaluated in the emergency room and admitted to the intensive care unit. In the provider's initial assessment, the patient is noted to have gross inflammation of her pharynx and tonsils, with grayish-white patches in the pharynx. A throat swab and additional specimens are sent for microbial analysis. The patient is placed in isolation.
-The nurse assesses the patient's medical history and notes that she has not received routine medical screening and treatment in the past 15 years. This patient could avoided this preventable disease by staying current with which vaccination?

Question

A 45-year-old female presents to the emergency department. She reports the onset of a sore throat, cough and rhinorrhea about five days ago. She is now experiencing weakness in her arms and difficulty breathing. She is evaluated in the emergency room and admitted to the intensive care unit. In the provider's initial assessment, the patient is noted to have gross inflammation of her pharynx and tonsils, with grayish-white patches in the pharynx. A throat swab and additional specimens are sent for microbial analysis. The patient is placed in isolation.
-The nurse assesses the patient's medical history and notes that she has not received routine medical screening and treatment in the past 15 years. This patient could avoided this preventable disease by staying current with which vaccination?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The symptoms and presentation are consistent with diphtheria, which can be prevented by the Td (tetanus-diphtheria) vaccine.

A 45-Year-Old Female Presents to the Emergency Department