N213: Health Differences Across the Life Span 3

N213: Health Differences Across the Lifespan 3 Study Guide Strep is transmitted by direct contact with saliva or respiratory contact. Once infected, incubation takes up to three days. The duration of the illness usually lasts up to a week. When it manifests as pharyngitis it causes sore throat, febrile illness, and throat swelling. In pneumonia, it can cause severe coughing, dyspnea, and may be accompanied by phyaryngitis and otitis media. Untreated strep can travel to the glomeruli and cause an antigen-antibody reaction in the kidneys. This can lead to kidney failure. Septicemia can develop when the bacteria enters the bloodstream. This is a very severe complication and requires immediate intervention. This infection is a very common and highly contagious infection in children and adolescents. Nurses will see a lot of this infection when school is in session and in the warmer months. There will possibly be trends of strep infections due to outbreaks. When this happens, the doctor may often make the decision to treat the infection in even suspected cases of strep. Signs and symptoms of streptococcal infections: • Sore throat • Fever above 101⁰ F • Malaise • Vomiting • Anorexia • Swollen lymph nodes • Red pharynx • Headache • Lesions on face and lips • Chills and cough • Tachycardia • Tachypnea (pneumonia) • Green/rust colored sputum • Decreased breath sounds • Dull chest percussion/crackles Nursing assessment for streptococcal infections: • Head to toe general assessment o Temperature o Breath sounds and airway patency o History of exposure and duration of symptoms o Nasopharynx assessment o Swallowing ability • Review laboratory and radiology reports o Rapid strep screen test (high degree of false negatives) o Complete blood count; cultures of blood and sputum o Arterial blood gas for suspected pneumonia o Chest x-ray ©2017 Achieve Test Prep Page 18 of 204

Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs