Lewis J. Wesselius, MD
Department of Pulmonary Medicine
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Scottsdale, AZ USA
History of Present Illness
A 56-year-old woman complained of 6 weeks of increasing cough and shortness of breath. She had been treated for pneumonia with antibiotics, but when she failed to improve, she was begun on prednisone. She was receiving oxygen at 4 L/min by nasal cannula at the time she was seen.
PMH, SH, and FH
Her past medical history, social history and family were unremarkable other than a previous history of silicone breast implants. She was a nonsmoker.
Physical Examination
Her physical examination showed bibasilar crackles but was otherwise unremarkable.
Radiography
Her chest x-ray is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Patient’s chest x-ray taken 6 weeks after the beginning of her illness.
Which of the following should be done at this time? (Click on the correct answer to be directed to the second of seven pages)
Cite as: Wesselius LJ. December 2019 Pulmonary case of the month: a 56-year-old woman with pneumonia. Southwest J Pulm Crit Care. 2019;19(6):149-55. doi: https://doi.org/10.13175/swjpcc067-19 PDF