A client with unresolved hemothorax is febrile, with chills and sweating. He has a nonproductive cough and chest pain. His chest tube drainage is turbid. A possible explanation for these findings is:

a. lobar pneumonia.

b. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

c. empyema.

d. infected chest tube wound site.

The correct answer is option c, that is, empyema.

Explanation:

Empyema refers to a condition in which accumulation of pus takes place in the region between the interior region of the chest wall and the lungs, that is, in the pleural space. It is also known as pyothorax or purulent pleuritis. In the condition, the pus present in the pleural space cannot be coughed out and it requires surgery in order to do so.

The turbidity of the chest tube drainage indicates that a person is suffering from empyema. The condition generally takes place in the individual suffering from pneumonia. The thickened fluid in the pleural space makes the lining of the lungs and the chest cavity to stick with each other and produces pockets. The signs and symptoms of the condition are fever, sweating, dry cough, pain in the chest, loss of appetite, and others. Hence, the person mentioned in the given case is suffering from empyema.