04-20-2007, 10:57 AM
An 88-year-old man is hospitalized for pneumonia and poor nutritional intake. He has no known family members and no medical records. He is tachypneic, tachycardic, febrile, and coughing continuously. Physical examination and chest radiograph confirm lobar pneumonia, and antibiotic therapy is begun. The fever resolves promptly and leukocytosis resolves by the third day of treatment. His vital signs return to normal, and the cough nears resolution. He is not treated with any other medications.
On the sixth day in the hospital, the patient becomes inattentive, confused, and drowsy with apparent hallucinations and fluctuating mental status. His vital signs remain normal.
Which one of the following is the most likely cause of this patient™s delirium?
(A) Hyponatremia
(B) Meningitis
© Alcohol abstinence syndrome
(D) Hypoxemia
(E) Drug reaction
On the sixth day in the hospital, the patient becomes inattentive, confused, and drowsy with apparent hallucinations and fluctuating mental status. His vital signs remain normal.
Which one of the following is the most likely cause of this patient™s delirium?
(A) Hyponatremia
(B) Meningitis
© Alcohol abstinence syndrome
(D) Hypoxemia
(E) Drug reaction