The sputum smear for your patient reveals 3+ gram positive cocci and many epithelial cells.What should you do?
A)Start antibiotics
B)Discard the sample
C)Get a chest x-ray
D)Start oxygen

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The presence of many epithelial cells in a sputum sample indicates contamination with saliva, suggesting that the sample is not suitable for diagnostic purposes. Therefore, it should be discarded and a new sample should be collected.

The Sputum Smear for Your Patient Reveals 3+ Gram Positive