Question

A patient presents with excessive coughing, tightness of the chest, and bloody sputum. Chris orders a pleurocentesis. What does this involve? (1 point) Responses measuring the patient’s oxygen levels measuring the patient’s oxygen levels inserting a camera deep into the patient’s lungs to observe inserting a camera deep into the patient’s lungs to observe surgically creating an opening in the patient’s chest surgically creating an opening in the patient’s chest using a long needle to take a fluid sample of the area around the lung

Answer 1

Pleurocentesis, also known as thoracentesis, involves using a long needle to take a fluid sample from the pleural space, which is the area around the lungs. This procedure is typically performed to analyze pleural fluid for diagnostic purposes, such as determining the cause of fluid accumulation, and can also provide relief from symptoms like chest tightness. Therefore, the correct response is:

**using a long needle to take a fluid sample of the area around the lung.**