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Once
the patient had been admitted to the hospital's critical care
unit, intravenous fluids were started. Included were
penicillin G, steroids, and essential fluid and nutrient
replacements. Nursing care is intensive to include monitoring
neurologic parameters for seizures, blood pressure, temperature,
fluid replacement, administration and others.
The
neurologist ordered a standard radiograph (X-ray), as well as a
computerized
axial tomograph
(CAT) scan of the patient's cranium to determine the extent of
swelling caused by the inflammatory presence of the bacteria.
14.
Can you explain how a CAT scan works?
15. Why would a
physician request a CAT scan over an X-ray?
16.
Why would an X-ray be ordered over a CAT scan?
48
hours after the lumbar puncture, spinal fluid and blood
cultures confirmed the presence of Neisseria
meningiditis. Click
here if you are interested in seeing the
nature
of this organism in
the laboratory.
17.
Which health professional would be responsible for running the
tests to detect bacterial meningitis?
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Instructor's
Notes:
Since
bacterial meningitis is a highly infectious disease and poses a
public health threat, states require physicians to immediately
report the case to departments of public health. A state or
county
epidemiologist.
individuals trained to follow community diseases, follow standard
protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control to assure
proper follow-up with individuals that have been in close contact
with the patient. Close contacts are defined as individuals who
may have had contact with the patient's saliva through kissing,
sharing drinking straws and a number of other interactions. These
are usually household members and girlfriends/boyfriends.
In these cases, the close contacts must be treated with
prophylactic (preventative) antibiotics and closely watched for
signs of the disease. Since the patient attended a school,
the local health agency, usually the county health department,
sends a notification to parents as a precaution. Such notices
advise the parents of signs and symptoms of meningiococcal
meningitis and encourage the parent to seek medical care for
their child quickly if the child exhibits any one of those
symptoms.
For
a more detailed description of this process, interested students
can visit the CDC public health guidelines website listed in
Additional Resources.
The
patient responded well to all medications and supportive care.
He was kept in the hospital's intermediate care unit for several
days and then discharged.
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