Question

After surgery, a client reports sudden severe chest pain and begins coughing. The nurse suspects the client has a thromboembolism. What characteristic of the sputum supports the nurse's suspicion that the client has a pulmonary embolus?

1 Pink
2 Clear
3 Green
4 Yellow

Answer 1

Pink sputum often indicates blood, which can support the suspicion of a pulmonary embolus after a client reports sudden severe chest pain and coughing post-surgery.

Step-by-step explanation:

The characteristic of the sputum that supports the nurse's suspicion of a pulmonary embolus is when it is pink, which often indicates that there is blood present. This can occur due to the embolus causing damage to the lung tissue and leading to bleeding. In comparison, green or yellow sputum is usually associated with infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis, whereas clear sputum may not give a definitive indication of a specific condition.