A patient presents to the emergency room reporting chest pain. They state their chest pain occurs with activity and that it subsided after taking nitroglycerin. In addition, the patient states the pain lasted for 8 minutes. Based on the patient's signs and symptoms, what type of angina may the patient be experiencing?

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. Pus in the pleural space: This describes empyema, a condition in which infection leads to pus accumulation in the pleural space. Empyema is commonly associated with bacterial pneumonia, lung abscess, or thoracic surgery and requires drainage and antibiotic therapy. It does not cause the lung collapse seen in pneumothorax.

B. Collapse of small airways: While airway collapse can occur in conditions like bronchiolitis or atelectasis, it is not the defining feature of pneumothorax. Pneumothorax specifically involves air leaking into the pleural space, which disrupts the negative pressure necessary for lung expansion and results in partial or complete lung collapse.

C. Blood in the chest cavity: This describes hemothorax, a condition in which blood accumulates in the pleural space due to trauma, ruptured blood vessels, or certain medical conditions. Unlike pneumothorax, which involves air in the pleural space, hemothorax requires different management, including drainage with a chest tube and possible fluid resuscitation.

D. Air in the pleural space: Pneumothorax occurs when air enters the pleural space, causing a loss of negative pressure and leading to lung collapse. This can result from chest trauma, spontaneous rupture of alveoli, underlying lung disease, or mechanical ventilation. Symptoms may include sudden chest pain, dyspnea, and decreased breath sounds on the affected side.