The nurse is assessing a client with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and auscultates moist, rumbling sounds that improve after the client coughs. How will the nurse document the lung sounds?

Choice A reason: A 30-pack-year smoking history indicates COPD risk but not acute distress. Smoking is a chronic factor, not an immediate symptom requiring urgent assessment. Clients with active respiratory distress, like accessory muscle use, take priority due to immediate risks of hypoxia.

Choice B reason: A 52-year-old in a tripod position using accessory muscles indicates severe respiratory distress in COPD, reflecting hypoxia or hypercapnia. This posture and muscle use signal increased work of breathing, requiring immediate assessment to prevent respiratory failure, making this client the highest priority.

Choice C reason: Dependent edema and clubbed fingers in a 68-year-old suggest chronic COPD with possible cor pulmonale. These are chronic findings, not acute distress. Clients with immediate respiratory compromise, like accessory muscle use, take priority due to the risk of rapid decompensation.

Choice D reason: Chronic cough with thick secretions is common in COPD but less urgent than acute respiratory distress. Secretions contribute to airway obstruction, but tripod positioning and accessory muscle use indicate immediate hypoxia risk, requiring priority assessment over chronic symptoms.

Choice A reason: A basic metabolic panel assesses electrolytes and renal function but does not identify the bacterial cause of pneumonia. It supports overall patient status but does not guide antibiotic selection, making it less critical than sputum culture for ensuring targeted, effective antibiotic therapy.

Choice B reason: Sputum culture and sensitivity identify the specific bacteria causing pneumonia and their antibiotic susceptibilities, ensuring targeted therapy. Inappropriate antibiotics risk treatment failure and resistance. Obtaining the culture before antibiotics prevents false-negative results, making this critical for effective treatment.

Choice C reason: A chest radiograph confirms pneumonia’s presence and extent but does not identify the causative organism or antibiotic sensitivity. It supports diagnosis but does not guide specific antibiotic therapy, making it less critical than sputum culture for ensuring appropriate treatment.

Choice D reason: A complete blood count with differential shows infection severity (e.g., elevated white cells) but does not identify specific bacteria or antibiotic sensitivity. It supports diagnosis but is secondary to sputum culture, which ensures targeted antibiotic selection for effective pneumonia treatment.