Your Patient Is a 72-Year-Old Female, Alert and Oriented, Sitting

Multiple Choice

Your patient is a 72-year-old female, alert and oriented, sitting up in bed at a nursing home. She is in mild respiratory distress. The staff describes a four-day history of fever, malaise, and productive cough. The patient also states that she has been experiencing chills and chest pain with deep inspiration. Physical examination reveals rales and rhonchi in the right upper lobe and warm, moist skin. HR = 116, BP = 104/76, RR = 20, SaO₂ = 93%. Based on the clinical exam findings, the most appropriate diagnosis would be:

A) pneumonia.
B) emphysema.
C) congestive heart failure.
D) chronic bronchitis.