Which of the following clients would be considered at high risk for developing pneumonia (both community and hospital setting)? Select all that apply

Question

A) A teenager who spends a lot of time at local coffee shops using Wi-Fi to chat with friends
B) A young adult in motorcycle accident with head injury requiring tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation
C) A college female who is pregnant (unplanned) who has been consuming alcohol prior to positive pregnancy test
D) A HIV-positive client with a WBC count of 2000 who has been camping near a commercial farm raising chickens for food
E) A school-aged child with severe asthma controlled by steroids admitted for an exacerbation

Answer 1

Ans: B, D, E
Feedback:
Persons requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation are particularly at risk, as are those with compromised immune function, chronic lung disease (like asthma), and airway instrumentation, such as endotracheal intubation or tracheotomy. Ventilator-associated pneumonia is pneumonia that develops in mechanically ventilated clients more than 48 hours after intubation. Neutropenia and impaired granulocyte function predispose to infections caused by S. aureus, Aspergillus, gram-negative bacilli, and Candida. Pneumonia in immunocompromised persons remains a major source of morbidity and mortality. The epithelial cells of critically and chronically ill persons are more receptive to binding microorganisms that cause pneumonia.