An 89-year-old female is short of breath and has a fever. Her SpO₂ is low and she has crackles and coarse breath sounds to both lungs. When getting history from her family caregivers, which of the following would make you suspicious that the patient has aspiration pneumonia?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Aspiration pneumonia is caused by the inhalation of foreign material such as food, liquid or vomit into the lungs. If the patient was fine until after eating lunch, it is suggestive that the material may have been aspirated while she was eating. The other options are not particularly indicative of aspiration pneumonia.

An 89-Year-Old Female Is Short of Breath and Has a Fever