A 64-year-old woman who recently emigrated from Sri Lanka presents with increasing shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain. She has had one month of cough, intermittent fever and mild weight loss, and has completed oral antibiotics from her GP.
Her chest X-ray shows a moderate left pleural effusion. Diagnostic thoracocentesis results are shown below.
| Test |
Pleural fluid |
Serum |
| Macroscopic appearance |
Straw yellow |
|
| Protein |
44 g/L |
66 g/L |
| Albumin |
20 g/L |
23 g/L |
| Cholesterol |
2.7 mmol/L |
|
| LDH |
255 U/L |
327 U/L |
| WCC |
3987 x 10^-6/L |
|
| Polymorphs |
28% |
|
| Mononuclear cells |
72% |
|
List three criteria used to classify pleural fluid as an exudate.
(Marked out of 3.0)
/ 3
List three likely diagnoses.
(Marked out of 3.0)
/ 3
List three additional investigations.
(Marked out of 3.0)
/ 3
List three needle-insertion considerations for a safe and effective therapeutic tap, excluding consent and sterility.
(Marked out of 3.0)
/ 3
Total Score: 0 / 12
Percentage: 0%
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