Case study

Reported byDr flying penguin HOD of infectious diseases, PLUS medical care center
Patient info:
Identity rk321 Date of Admission- 11/5/16
General infork321 is a 27-year-old male, sedentary lifestyle, is exposed to infected people,
admitted after 3 weeks of severe cough, headache, and vomiting.
Patients backgroundHas a history of viral infections, is addicted to nicotine cigarettes and is ignorant to
his health, was prescribed cough syrups which did not benefit him.
Significant symptomsExperiences symptoms of fever, fatigue, cough with phlegm, chest pain,
and vomiting. Also has a persistent low-grade fever with cough that
worsens at night. Bubbling sounds heard on stethoscope also has slightly
bluish nails suggesting pneumonia Signs
General- underweight, has white hair, looks older than 27
Vitals- temp- 104F, BP-135/90, HR- 81
Lab tests- hgb-12, wbc-18, platelets -120k
Diagnosispulse oximetry-lower than normal
X-ray suggests mild pneumonia due to presence of focal consolidations in
the lobes
Micro- positive for pneumococcal urinary antigen "pneumococcal urinary
antigen is a useful test in detecting pneumococcus especially for patients
on antibiotics"
sputum gram test- positive (suggests bacterial pneumonia but cannot be
confirmed)
Blood culture - no growth in 24 hrs

Treatment plan
On admission rk321 will be treated with regular dosages of broad spectrum
antibiotics like Amoxicillin and Ampicillin. These will help reduce the
number of bacteria drastically and the patient should recover within 4-5
days. The patient might experience common side effects like nausea and
dizziness also he might experience a metallic taste in his mouth.
Medication would be changed in case of swelling of lips/tongue.
In the case of viral infection treatment with antibiotics would be rendered
useless. Using antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir, zanamivir and peramivir
should help to control the spread of the virus. If the condition, is caused by
RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) drugs like ribavirin to be administered.
With plenty of rest, proper care and medication rk321 is likely to be cured
within 3-4 weeks. If the condition persists and transforms into a severe
case of pneumonia developing many other health conditions, rk321 to be
moved to the ICU In the ICU, rk321 shall receive severe care as his health
will become a major concern mostly because of high mortality rate due to
many health complications."37% mortality is observed in severe cases of
viral pneumonia due to health complications like extremely low oxygen
levels and ,multiple organ failures". References: Books: Frucht, S. S. (2012). Medical terminology: get connected! Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson
Kathryn L. McCance (1990). Pathophysiology: The Biological Basis for
Disease. Websites: www.testtargettreatment.com
www.mayoclinic.org
www.healthline.com
www.pubmed.gov