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Focused Throat Case Study Answers

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Main Question Post: Week 5 Discussion -- Review of Case Study #2: Focused Throat Exam Subjective: Ms. L is a twenty year-old female, college student presents with sore throat for three days, with additional decreased appetite, headache, and pain with swallowing. She recounts that similar “flu-like” symptoms recently affecting multiple students on campus. Additional complaint-specific questions: Have you been coughing? Are you coughing anything up? Have you been running a fever or exhibiting chills? Are you taking any medications for this? Are they helping? Are you having any pain in your face? Have you recently had a head injury? Do you smoke or have you been around anyone who smokes? Do you experience gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn? …show more content…

Epiglottitis-Because of her sore throat and vocal changes, this should be ruled out as it can advance to emergent airway obstruction, however, my suspicions would tell me that this is not probable as these patients often present in respiratory distress and appear toxic (Gompf, 2016). 5. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infectious mononucleosis-Though classic signs of EBV is prolonged malaise, sore throat is a very prevalent sign, and with her age and close quarters being a common factor for transmission (Cunha, 2016), EBV should also be ruled out. Plan: Further physical examination would include observing the ears, nose, and throat, as well as palpation of sinuses and lymph nodes, and auscultation of heart, lungs, and upper airway. I would order a rapid A and B influenza nasal wash swab, group A rapid strep and throat culture, and mono spot, and consider ordering a complete blood count. Depending upon diagnostic out comes, antibiotics or antivirals could be considered, as well as over-the-counter symptom relief referral, and a recommendation for rest and isolation until symptoms begin to subside. References Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2015). Seidel's guide to physical examination (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier

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