Question

A 75-year-old man, Patrick R., presented to the emergency department with fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, and severe, extremely productive cough. Patrick had been a heavy smoker for almost 50 years before he quit 7 years ago, when he was diagnosed with emphysema. Patrick occasionally used oxygen at home when he had difficulty breathing, and on presentation he was using portable oxygen because of his severe respiratory distress. A chest X-ray revealed a right lower lobe infiltrate, and Patrick was admitted to the hospital. Sputum, urine, and blood cultures were collected.

In this case, the symptoms were quite diagnostic of pneumonia. Why were urine and blood cultures also collected?

Answer 1

A 75-year-old man, Patrick R., presented to the emergency department with fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, and severe, extremely productive cough. Patrick had been a heavy smoker for almost 50 years before he quit 7 years ago, when he was diagnosed with emphysema. Patrick occasionally used oxygen at home when he had difficulty breathing, and on presentation he was using portable oxygen because of his severe respiratory distress. A chest X-ray revealed a right lower lobe infiltrate, and Patrick was admitted to the hospital. Sputum, urine, and blood cultures were collected.

In this case, the symptoms were quite diagnostic of pneumonia. Why were urine and blood cultures also collected?

ANS-In this case the patient is diagnosed as lower lobe pneumonia as per investigation and past and present history.so a physician start for antibiotic therapy empericaly.but they dose not know the couse of infection and particular microrganisim which produce infection.....so when plan for send sputum culture that time must be send blood culture and urine culture to specify the presence of micro-organisim in body so the patient get well treatment and reduce their cost also.becuse the main source of micro-organisim growth in body is blood ,urine ...if pneumonia present from long time so chance of infection in blood is increased bcz of pulmonary circulation of blood regularly and may be in urine bcz some bacteria can cross the permeable membrens ......it's better to send all three culture to specify the particular host in perticular area .......and give a better treatment.so during collection of sputum sampel we collected blood and urine sample to test same time and get result same time after 48 hours ...then take a overaly result and start a perfect antibiotics.