30 March 2009

Bacterial Pneumonia

Bacterial pneumonia is a serious infection that sometimes need for hospitalization when pleural effusion or empyema accompanies the disease and is mandatory for children with staphylococcal pneumonia.

Signs and Symptoms of Bacterial Pneumonia:
  • Acute onset, fever, toxic appearance
  • In infant: irritability, poor feeding, lethargy, abrupt fever, respiratory distress
  • In older child: chills, headache, abdominal pain, chest pain, and meningeal symptoms
  • Diminished breath sound or scattered crackles
  • Hacking, nonproductive cough
  • Coarse crackles and wheezing are heard as the infections resolves

Nursing Interventions for Bacterial Pneumonia:
  • Administer oxygen as prescribed
  • Place the child in a mist tent as prescribed
  • Administer antimicrobial, antipyretic, antitussives as prescribed
  • Suction mucus if the infant is unable to handle secretions
  • Chest physiotherapy and postural drainage every 4 hours as prescribed
  • Encourage child to lie on the affected side to splint the chest and reduce the discomfort caused by pleural rubbing
  • Provide fluid intake and take caution to prevent aspiration
  • Institute isolation precautions according to the agency policy
  • Continuous closed chest drainage may be instituted if purulent fluid is present
  • Thoracentesis may be done to remove fluid accumulation in the pleural cavity

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