1. Question

1 point(s)

Category: Physiological Integrity

A client with bacterial pneumonia is admitted to the pediatric

unit. What would the nurse expect the admitting assessment to

reveal?

o A. High fever

o B. Nonproductive cough

o C. Rhinitis

o D. Vomiting and diarrhea

Incorrect

Correct Answer: A. High fever

If the child has bacterial pneumonia, a high fever is usually

present. Increased temperature (usually more than 38 C or

100.4 F) or fever with tachycardia and/or chills and sweats is a

major clinical finding. Physical findings also vary from patient to

patient and mainly depend on the severity of lung consolidation,

the type of organism, the extent of the infection, host factors,

and existence or nonexistence of pleural effusion. • Option B: Bacterial pneumonia usually presents with

a productive cough, not a nonproductive cough. The

presence of a productive cough is the most common

and significant presenting symptom. The lower

respiratory tract is not sterile, and it always is

exposed to environmental pathogens. Invasion and

propagation of the above-mentioned bacteria into lung

parenchyma at alveolar level causes bacterial

pneumonia, and the body’s inflammatory response

against it causes the clinical syndrome of pneumonia. • Option C: Rhinitis is often seen with viral pneumonia.

Features in the history of bacterial pneumonia may