A client with pyrexia will most likely demonstrate:

IGNOU PB Bsc Entrance-2022

Medical Surgical Nursing

Medium

Appeared in: IGNOU PB Bsc Entrance-2022

Explanation

Fever (pyrexia) increases the body's basal metabolic rate, which is the rate at which the body uses energy at rest.
For every 1°C rise in body temperature, the metabolic rate increases significantly, raising the body's demand for oxygen.
To meet this increased oxygen demand and circulate blood more rapidly, the heart compensates by beating faster.
This compensatory increase in heart rate is known as tachycardia.
The heart rate typically rises by about 10 beats per minute for each degree Celsius increase in temperature.

Option A: While the respiratory rate often increases (tachypnea) to help dissipate heat, dyspnea, which is a subjective feeling of shortness of breath, is not a direct or universal symptom of fever itself.
Option B: Pericardial pain is a specific symptom of pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart) and is not a general physiological response to pyrexia.
Option D: Blood pressure does not typically rise with fever. The body's attempt to cool down involves peripheral vasodilation (widening of blood vessels), which can lead to a stable or even slightly decreased blood pressure.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Physiological response to pyrexia and associated clinical manifestations as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Monitoring for tachycardia is a fundamental nursing assessment for a febrile patient, as the degree of heart rate elevation can indicate the level of physiological stress.
In patients with pre-existing cardiac conditions, such as heart failure, the tachycardia associated with fever increases myocardial oxygen demand and can precipitate acute decompensation. Therefore, managing fever in these patients is a high priority.
What if? If a febrile patient develops bradycardia (a slow heart rate) instead of the expected tachycardia, the nurse must recognize this as a paradoxical finding. This 'temperature-pulse dissociation' can be a sign of specific infections like typhoid fever or drug-induced fever and requires immediate reporting and further investigation.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core concept in the question, which is 'pyrexia' or fever.
Second, recall the fundamental physiological responses to an elevated body temperature. Consider how the body's major systems (metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory) react.
Third, analyze the effect of fever on the metabolic rate. An increased temperature speeds up metabolic processes, which increases the body's need for oxygen.
Fourth, determine how the cardiovascular system compensates for this increased oxygen demand. The heart must pump faster to deliver more oxygenated blood, leading to tachycardia.
Finally, evaluate and eliminate the other options based on pathophysiology. Dyspnea is subjective, pericardial pain is specific to another condition, and blood pressure tends to decrease or stay the same due to vasodilation, not increase.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Physiological response to pyrexia and associated clinical manifestations.
Stem keywords: pyrexia, client, demonstrate
Lead-in keywords: most likely
Negative lead-in flag: false

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