Nursing Observation Essay

According to MedScape, hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is defined as, “…a lung infection that begins in a nonintubated patient within 48 hours of admission” (Cunha). On Monday, February 9th; I worked on the Cardiac floor in Mercy. Receiving report at 0630 that morning, I learned I would be taking care of a 30 year old male, who had recently undergone an aortic valve replacement and shortly after acquired pneumonia assumed to be hospital related. He was thereafter transferred to the cardiac unit (4B) for monitoring with complaints of chest pain. He had been on the unit about two days prior to my care for him. I entered the room around 0730 to complete my first baseline head-to-toe assessment. Upon observation, the patient appeared anxious, leaning forward, acquiring a tripod posture, as if having intense difficulty breathing. While auscultating the lungs I noticed dull, diminished breath sounds in the lower left lobe and difficulty getting a complete breath. The patient stated, “I am in so much pain that even though I feel congested, I still can’t get the stuff out of me.” I asked him when he had acquired the pneumonia and he stated not long after the surgery he began presenting with

3). In 2014, 421 potential titles were included for screening, including 23-48 year olds from the United States, UK, Finland, Germany, Italy, India, South Africa, Thailand, and Israel. Three trials with a total of 604 participants compared the administration of Guaifenesin with a placebo control group. “There was a potential risk of bias related to funding sources as studies funded by pharmaceutical companies or other providers were more likely to have positive results” (Fahey, Schroeder, Smith, p.