Discussion Post
Due to the advances in imaging and diagnostic procedures, differential diagnoses for fever of unknown origin can usually be narrowed down. However, when a patient does present with fever and no clear origin, it is truly a challenge to locate the inflammation or infection in a timely manner so that focused treatment can be employed.
You are the AGACNP hospitalist provider tasked with admitting the following patient to the hospital:
• She is a 40-year-old, Hispanic, developmentally delayed, female from a local long-term care center with early dementia, DM-2 (insulin dependent), neurogenic bladder, hypertension, and systolic dysfunction (EF 30%) due to ischemic cardiomyopathy.
• She is brought by emergency medical transport to the emergency department with altered mental status and the following vital signs: oral temp is 101.5, HR 72, RR=28, and oxygen saturation on room air is 88%.
• She is currently on prednisone 20 mg daily for temporal arteritis, and Coreg 12.5 mg BID, Namenda 10 mg daily, Lasix 40 mg daily, Levemir 20 units SQ BID, metformin 500 mg BID, and sliding scale insulin.
Explain the presentation, etiology, common differential diagnosis, typical diagnostic work-up, treatment plan, preventative measures (if any), and additional information that would be important to the geriatric population with regard to fever of unknown origin.
The response should include a reference list. Using double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.