Final answer:
Considering the symptoms of hyperthermia, tachycardia, and tachypnea in a child with sepsis, an APRN should consider septic shock as an additional diagnosis. Septic shock is severe and indicates circulatory and metabolic abnormalities, which are manifestations of a critical state of sepsis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Potential Additional Diagnosis for a Child with Sepsis
An APRN assesses a school-aged child with sepsis who is experiencing new symptoms of hyperthermia, tachycardia, and tachypnea. Sepsis can lead to severe complications and different organ system dysfunctions. The symptoms of hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), tachycardia (rapid heart rate), and tachypnea (rapid breathing) indicate a systemic inflammatory response and could be signs that the condition is progressing. Given these new symptoms, an APRN may consider the possibility of septic shock as an additional diagnosis, which is characterized by a significant drop in blood pressure and potential failure of multiple organs. Septic shock is a severe form of sepsis where the body's response to infection has led to circulatory, cellular, and metabolic abnormalities. The prevalence of symptoms such as high fever and acute respiratory distress, which could be indicators of sepsis progressing to septic shock, should be considered when making additional diagnoses.
Other potential diagnoses include conditions that commonly arise with sepsis, such as pneumonia, which could be a primary source of infection leading to sepsis, or meningitis, which could be indicated by the hyperthermia. However, without additional information such as a localized source of infection, hypoxemia, or neurological signs, it may be premature to diagnose them over septic shock.