Class notes
PNUR124 Week 4 Study Guide
- Course
- PNUR 124 (PNUR124)
Lecture notes of 18 pages for the course PNUR 124 at (Week 4 Study Guide)
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
PNUR124Week 4 Study Guide: Inflammation, Infection & Fever
Infection: the state produced by the establishment of one or more pathogenic agents or
microorganisms (as bacteria, viruses, protozoans, or fungi) in or on the body of a suitable host
• Is a process involving the invasion of body tissues by microorganisms (bacteria, viruses,
fungi, protozoa, and parasites). Infections almost always cause inflammation.
Causes of Infection:
Bacteria – example: Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus
Virus – example: COVID-19, Hepatitis, HIV, HINI, Ebola
Fungi – example: Candida albicans, Aspergillus organism
Parasites – example: Cryptosporidium parvum – acute and chronic diarrhea
Protozoan – example: Plasmodium falciparum
Rickettsia & Chlamydia
Mycoplasma - example: walking pneumonia
Infection Control - Why is infection control important in the clinical setting?
• To protect clients from acquiring infections.
• To protect health care providers from becoming
infected.
• To prevent complications in the inpatient/outpatient
client.
• To decrease length of stay in hospital.
• To decrease health care cost.
• To promote a clean and safe healthcare
environment.
• To promote public safety.
Risk Factors for Infection
Age (newborn and the elderly is more susceptible)
Immune status (immunocompromised) and lack of immunization.
Prolonged stress
Poor nutritional status
Broken skin or mucosa
Medications (antineoplastic and corticosteroids)
Obesity (related to ↓ blood flow to skin and underlying tissue)
Smoking
Chronic diseases (pulmonary diseases, diabetes)
Hospitalization
Decreased mobility
Obstructed urine outflow (urinary retention)
Stages of an Infection
,PNUR124
• Incubation: Pathogens actively replicate but does not yet cause manifestations
(symptoms). Based on the microorganism and host factors, this period may last for
hours, days, months, years. (Influenza 1-3 days, chicken pox, 2-3 weeks).
• Prodromal Stage: Interval from the onset of nonspecific signs and symptoms (low-grade
fever, malaise, headache, and fatigue) to when more specific symptoms occur.
Organisms multiply and the individual can spread disease to others.
• Illness Stage: Interval when the individual manifests signs and symptoms specific to the
type of infection. Acute phase when maximal impact of infection is felt (fever and chills,
tachycardic and tachypneic).
• Convalescence: Interval when infection is contained and the body attempts to return to
a state of homeostasis. Affected tissues are repaired and manifestations resolved.
Types of Infection:
Colonization
o Presence of a microorganism on/in a host, with
growth and multiplication of the organism, but
without interaction between host and organism (no
clinical expression, no immune response).
Carrier
o A person with inapparent infection who is capable of
transmitting the pathogen to others. Asymptomatic or
passive or healthy carriers are those who never
experience symptoms despite being infected.
Local infection
o An infection that affects only one body part or organ
o Example: infected wound
Systemic infection
o Affecting the entire body, rather than a single organ or body part
o An infection that is in the bloodstream is also a systemic infection
o Example: high blood pressure or the flu
o Septicemia: When bacteremia results in systemic symptoms (complications of
infection)
o Bacteremia: Blood culture is positive for microorganisms.
Nosocomial infection
o Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), are infection(s) acquired during
the process of receiving health care that was not present during the time
of admission
o Example: UTI, respiratory pneumonia, surgical site wound infections
Diagnostics for Infection
WBC with differentials (increases in acute infection and immunosuppression).
ESR (elevated in acute and chronic infection)
Iron levels (Decreased in chronic infection).
C-reactive protein
, PNUR124
Blood and urine culture
Cultures and Gram stain of wound, sputum, and throat
Culture and Sensitivity
o Culture: laboratory cultivation of bacteria or yeast in a special growth medium,
which allows for positive identification of organisms.
o Different culture media are used for suspected pathogens
o (e.g., liquid medium is used for blood specimens as in blood culture)
o Common pathogens such as Staphylococci, streptococci, and
o enterococci are identified in 48 hours.
o Sensitivity: Used to determine minimal concentration of antibiotics that will
inhibit growth of an organism. Assess resistance to specific antibiotics. Why is
this important?
o Gram Stain: done to identify the presence of bacteria, WBCs and epithelial cells
in the original specimen (↑WBCs indicates infection, ↑epithelial = poor quality
specimen)
Older Adults and Infections
The elderly are at higher risk for infections.
Age-related changes perpetuate susceptibility (impaired immune function, immobility)
May present with atypical symptoms due to altered response to infections.
Common clinical presentation with infection is confusion (delirium) esp. with UTIs.
Elderly clients living in LTC or hospitalized are at increased risk for infections.
The elderly should be assessed for possible infection if:
Changes in ability to perform ADLs
Changes in cognition (CAM tool)
Delirium in Infection
o Delirium is defined as “an acute state of confusion that presents as a sudden,
severe change in a person’s cognition, affecting their awareness, attention,
thinking, perception, and subsequently, their behavior (Pallium Canada, 2013 as
cited in Murray, 2016, p. 133).
o It is not psychological issue or mental health issue.
o Caused by multiple factors (drugs, malnutrition, electrolyte imbalance, infection
(urinary, pneumonia), dehydration).
o Delirium is a common manifestation in the elderly with an UTI.
Chain of Infection
Infectious Agents: includes bacteria, viruses, fungi,
parasite, and protozoa.
These agents will cause disease depending on:
there are sufficient number of organisms.
Increased virulence
The susceptibility of the host
The ability to enter and survive in the host.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller juliar1. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for CA$11.59. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75632 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now