


Per J.J’s report of “flu like illness for the past few days” which include fever, rhinorrhea, and cough lead me to believe that a likely cause of the pericarditis is a virus. N512 Advanced Pathophysiology Acute Pericarditis J.J’s cardiac exam shows tachycardia, as evidenced by a heart rate of 105, with a three-component high pitched squeaking sound, which is a finding indicative of acute pericarditis, but may also be indicative of complications related to pericarditis (American Heart Association, 2016).Ĭauses of pericarditis include viral, bacterial, protozoal, and mycotic infections (Hammer & McPhee, 2019) or its cause can be idiopathic. The presence of pericardial rub often indicates complications of pericarditis such as an increase in fluid between the layers of the pericardium which causes the rubbing between the pericardium and heart, pericardial effusion (Hammer & McPhee, 2019), this best explains the pathophysiological mechanism causing the chest pain for J.J currently. Also, a clinical finding in patients with acute pericarditis is a high-pitched squeaking sound upon cardiac auscultation, which may be indicative of pericardial rub ( Hammer & McPhee, 2019). A client with acute pericarditis will complain of chest pain that worsens with deep breaths or while coughing when lying down and is relieved by positional changes, such as leaning forward or sitting up (Hammer & McPhee, 2019) N512 Advanced Pathophysiology Acute Pericarditis. Given the patients report and the physical examination obtained, factors aside from medical findings to keep in mind when moving forward are: A highly stressful job, her sex, her race, and her marital status, which may contribute to stress levels as well.Īfter assessment of the findings presented, J.J’s likely Diagnosis is Acute Pericarditis, which is an inflammation of the pericardium, caused by the sac’s layers becoming inflamed and possibly rubbing against the heart (American Heart Association, 2016). Abdominal and extremity examinations are normal. Cardiac examination is tachycardic with a three-component high-pitched squeaking sound. The neck is supple, with shotty anterior cervical lymphadenopathy.

Her head and neck examination are notable for clear mucus in the nasal passages and a mildly erythematous oropharynx N512 Advanced Pathophysiology Acute Pericarditis. Upon physical examination findings she appears in moderate distress from pain, with a blood pressure of 125/85 mm Hg, heart rate 105 bpm, respiratory rate 18/min, and oxygen saturation of 98% on room air. N512 Advanced Pathophysiology Acute Pericarditis. Of note, she is reported to work as an Advertising Executive.

Also, she denies any alcohol, tobacco, or drug use. She denies any additional medical history and is not taking any medication. In addition, she also indicates having had “flu like illness” within the past few days such as fever, rhinorrhea, and cough. The pain is verbalized to be sharp in nature, worsens with deep breaths, is retrosternal, and is improved when “leaning forward”. Jackie Johnson is described as a married 35-year-old African American female who has presented to the emergency room with: Chest pain, which she rates 8 out of 10 on a scale ranging from 1 to 10. N512 Advanced Pathophysiology Acute Pericarditis
