A patient has pulmonary edema. For what condition should the healthcare professional assess the patient as the priority?

A. Fever: Fever is a common sign of pericarditis, often indicating inflammation or infection in the pericardial sac. This symptom is typical in patients with this condition.

B. Mild chest pain: Mild chest pain is a typical symptom of pericarditis. Patients often experience sharp, pleuritic chest pain that may worsen with inspiration or coughing.

C. No evidence of fatigue: Fatigue can be a common symptom in patients with pericarditis due to the body's response to inflammation. Therefore, the absence of fatigue is not typical, making this an appropriate choice.

D. Myalgias: Myalgias or muscle aches can occur in pericarditis as part of the systemic inflammatory response. This symptom is not unusual in patients with this condition.

E. Pericardial friction rub: A pericardial friction rub is a characteristic finding in pericarditis, heard during auscultation. It results from the movement of inflamed pericardial layers against each other.

F. Radiating substernal pain felt in the left shoulder: This type of radiating pain is more characteristic of myocardial ischemia or angina rather than pericarditis. While pericarditis can cause chest pain, it does not typically radiate in the same manner as that seen in cardiac conditions, making this an appropriate choice.

A. It does not remain dormant but some host defenses can kill the bacteria: While the immune system can kill some of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli, in many cases, the bacteria evade complete eradication and persist in a dormant state within the lungs. This does not mean the infection is fully eliminated, as it can reactivate later.

B. Virulence factors in the bacilli weaken over time, leading to apoptosis: Mycobacterium tuberculosis does not naturally lose its virulence over time. Instead, it can persist in a latent state due to immune containment, not because of a reduction in its ability to cause disease.

C. The bacilli can become isolated within tubercles in the lungs, possibly encapsulated: In latent tuberculosis, the immune system walls off the bacilli within granulomas (tubercles), preventing active disease. These granulomas may be encapsulated with fibrous tissue, restricting bacterial growth and spread. The bacteria remain dormant but can reactivate if the immune system weakens.

D. Macrophages attack and phagocytize new areas of infection: While macrophages do play a role in the immune response to tuberculosis, they are often unable to completely eradicate the bacilli. Instead, the bacteria can survive within macrophages and trigger the formation of granulomas, which help contain but not eliminate the infection.