Ms. Abbey has a fever; what orders might the practical nurse anticipate?

Ms. Abbey has a fever; what orders might the practical nurse anticipate?

• A. Isolate the client for possible septicemia.
• B. Collect blood, urine, and sputum cultures to isolate the cause of infection.
• C. Hold the TPN until blood cultures are clear of pathogens.
• D. Run dextrose 10% via the central line until the cause of the infection is discovered.

Answer: (B)

When a patient presents with fever, the priority is to identify the source of infection and the responsible organism so treatment can be targeted. Obtaining cultures from multiple sites provides the clearest path to that goal. Blood cultures detect bacteremia or septicemia and guide systemic antibiotic choices. Urine cultures check for a urinary tract infection, which can be a common fever source. Sputum cultures help identify respiratory infections like pneumonia. Collecting these specimens before starting antibiotics improves the chance of identifying the exact pathogen and its sensitivities, allowing more effective and precise therapy and avoiding unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotics. Isolating the patient for septicemia isn’t a standard nursing order in itself, holding TPN isn’t routinely required during infection, and giving dextrose via a central line without a therapeutic need doesn’t aid in diagnosing infection and can cause risks like hyperglycemia.

When a patient presents with fever, the priority is to identify the source of infection and the responsible organism so treatment can be targeted. Obtaining cultures from multiple sites provides the clearest path to that goal. Blood cultures detect bacteremia or septicemia and guide systemic antibiotic choices. Urine cultures check for a urinary tract infection, which can be a common fever source. Sputum cultures help identify respiratory infections like pneumonia. Collecting these specimens before starting antibiotics improves the chance of identifying the exact pathogen and its sensitivities, allowing more effective and precise therapy and avoiding unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Isolating the patient for septicemia isn’t a standard nursing order in itself, holding TPN isn’t routinely required during infection, and giving dextrose via a central line without a therapeutic need doesn’t aid in diagnosing infection and can cause risks like hyperglycemia.