Question

A patient with preeclampsia is admitted with the following vital signs: temperature 98.6, heart rate 110, respiratory rate 28, blood pressure 182/116, and oxygen saturation 92. What is the patient's condition?

1) Preeclampsia
2) Hypertension
3) Anemia
4) Respiratory distress

Answer 1

The patient's condition primarily involves preeclampsia with severe features including dangerously high blood pressure, elevated heart and respiratory rates, and slightly reduced oxygen saturation, rather than anemia or respiratory distress alone.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient's condition is most accurately described as preeclampsia with severe hypertension. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, often the kidneys. The vital signs of the patient indicate several concerns: a high blood pressure of 182/116 mm Hg which is above the threshold for hypertension (140/90 mm Hg and even above the severe hypertension marker of 160/110 mm Hg), a heart rate of 110 beats per minute which is higher than the normal range (60-100 beats per minute), a respiratory rate of 28 breaths per minute indicating potential respiratory distress (as normal is 12-18 breaths per minute).

Additionally, an oxygen saturation of 92 may suggest hypoxemia as normal values are typically above 95%. However, the patient does not have anemia as there are no symptoms directly suggesting low red blood cell count, nor is respiratory distress the primary diagnosis despite the elevated respiratory rate.