Examining Chest X-Rays
Chest x-rays are an invaluable diagnostic tool as they can help identify common respiratory disorders such as pneumonia, pleural effusion, and tumors, as well as cardiovascular disorders such as an enlarged heart and heart failure. As an advanced practice nurse, it is important that you are able to differentiate a normal x-ray from an abnormal x-ray in order to identify these disorders. The ability to articulate the results of a chest x-ray with the physician, radiologist, and patient is an essential skill when facilitating care in a clinical setting. In this Discussion, you practice your interprofessional collaboration skills as you interpret chest x-rays and exchange feedback with your colleagues.
Consider the patient case study and x-rays below and post your analysis/examination
Note: By Day 1 of this week, your Instructor will assign you to post on one of these patient case studies and x-rays:
Case Study 1 Last name A-F
35-year-old Asian male presents to your clinic complaining of productive cough for two weeks. Stated he has had mild intermittent fever with myalgia, malaise and occasional nausea.
SH: works as a law clerk
PE: NP noted low grade fever (99 degrees), with very mild wheezing and scattered rhonchi.
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X-Ray Analysis
School affiliation
Course
Date
Intermittent coughs tend to be the most complaints that are affiliated with clinical visits. The warning signs of critical bronchitis that in most cases may include rhonchi, low-grade fever, wheeze and nausea may be in existence (Dall and Stanford, 2017). Infectious bronchitis may commonly commence with signs and symptoms of a common cold, fatigue, nausea sore throat or even chilliness, muscle and backaches that may be followed by sight fevers. Such symptoms present the possibility of having acquired infections that are caused by influenza. The patient presented has as well whined of a replica of the symptoms which that have prevalent for the past two weeks. Patients with febrile are likely to suffer from influenza and associated respiratory ailments. Since the patient fulfils almost all the influenza symptom, it necessitates having a chest X-Ray that will aid in distinguishing the exact cause of her abnormal body functioning which ought to guide in diagnosis (Royal College of Physician, 2015).
Chest x-ray that was taken at our hospital reveals novel long-winded, heavy opacities that are predominant on the lower lobes with the left hemidiaphragm having signs of opacification. Results from the x-ray depict symptoms of promptly developing opacities of confluent Perihilar that are less prominent on the right side than on the right side as well as new-fangled minor pleural effusions rampant on the right side. Examination of the x-ray discloses big, non-tender hard like lymph nodes developing on the right supraclavicular fossa. A resonant by percussion on both lungs is noted but with a single exception; the right mid-lateral, as well as the right mid anterior of the lung fields, appear to be dull. Such results prompts a significant possibility presence of revelation by auscultation of consensual weakened vesicular breath sounds that builds up in the respiratory system over a period of time (Plawny, 2015). Sounds of the bronchial, rhonchi and the late inspiratory sizzles are clear in the right side of bilateral and anterior lung fields. Auscultation and percussion indicate no serious abnormality in regards.
References
Dall, L., & Stanford, J. (2017). Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd edition.. NCBI. Retrieved 2 July 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK324/.
Plawny, L. (2018). Myeloid malignancies. In Side Effects of Medical Cancer Therapy (pp. 249-266). Springer, Cham.
Royal College of Physician. (2015). Clinical Medicine. Retrieved 2 July 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4953114/.
