Question

#1. What is the difference between sputum and phlegm?

#2. Why must CNAs record sputum color, odor and consistency?



#3. What 2 colors of sputum signal serious problems?

Answer 1

#1.Sputum is produced when a person's lungs are diseased or damaged. Sputum is not saliva but the thick mucus – sometimes called phlegm – which is coughed up from the lungs.

#2.Sputum analysis is important, because it enables diagnosis of conditions such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung abscess and lung cancer. The nurse should record the colour, amount and consistency of the sputum collected.

#3.As a general rule, sputum is dark green in the early stages of an infection and gradually lightens as the infection improves. It is the presence of an enzyme called myeloperoxidase that gives the sputum its green color, during an infection. Some infections may cause sputum to be yellow, gray, or rusty colored.