Two hours after taking a dose of penicillin, a patient arrives in the emergency department with complaints of slight shortness of breath, respirations 28/minute

Question

Upon further assessment, a nurse observes pruritus and urticaria, BP 92/48, respirations 36/min. Select the most likely analysis of the situation. a. The patient is experiencing a moderate allergic reaction that will improve as the nurse applies oxygen.
b. The patient is having a mild reaction that can be treated efficiently with adminis-tration of an antihistamine.
c. These symptoms are most likely the result of another cause, because fewer than 10% of patients have true allergic responses.
d. The patient is experiencing an anaphylactic response, and emergency interventions should be employed.

Answer 1

D
The signs and symptoms the patient is experiencing reveal an anaphylactic response to the anti-biotic, a possibly life-threatening development.
Providing oxygen will not reduce the risk of the potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening condition that needs to be treated immediately. It is not mild and cannot be managed by an antihistamine alone.
The assumption cannot be made that the reaction is due to another cause.