Environmental stress responsesDownloads

A 6-year-old boy is presented to a pediatric clinic by his mother with complaints of fever, malaise, and cough for the past 2 days. He frequently complains of a sore throat and has difficulty eating solid foods. The mother mentions that, initially, the boy’s fever was low-grade and intermittent but later became high grade and continuous. The boy was born at 39 weeks gestation via spontaneous vaginal delivery. He is up to date on all vaccines and is meeting all developmental milestones. The past medical history is noncontributory. The boy takes a multivitamin every day. The mother reports that he does well in school and is helpful around the house. The boy’s vital signs include blood pressure 110/65 mm Hg, heart rate 110/min, respiratory rate 32/min, and temperature 38.3°C (101.0°F). On physical examination, the boy appears uncomfortable and has difficulty breathing. His heart is mildly tachycardic with a regular rhythm and his lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally. Oropharyngeal examination shows that his palatine tonsils are covered with pus and that there is erythema of the surrounding mucosa. Which of the following mediators is responsible for this patient’s elevated temperature?

Two-hours into recovery from general anesthesia for an orthopedic fracture, a 34-year-old woman develops fever and masseter muscle rigidity with lockjaw. She has no history of a similar episode. She has no history of serious illness and takes no medications. She appears confused. In the recovery room, her blood pressure is 78/50 mm Hg, the pulse is 128/min, the respirations are 42/min, and the temperature is 40.3°C (104.5°F). Cardiopulmonary examination shows no abnormalities. Laboratory studies show: Serum Na+ 145 mEq/L K+ 6.5 mEq/L Arterial blood gas on room air pH 7.01 PCO2 78 mm Hg HCO3− 14 mEq/L PO2 55 mm Hg The patient is reintubated. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in pharmacotherapy?