Ambulatory Care Nurse Certification Practice Exam 2025 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide for Successful Certification

The condition where fluid in the chest becomes infected in a pneumonia patient is termed empyema. This occurs when the pleural space, the area between the lungs and the chest wall, gathers purulent fluid—typically a result of an infection that originated in the lungs, such as pneumonia.

When pneumonia worsens, it can lead to the accumulation of pus due to bacteria invading the pleural cavity, causing inflammation and infection. Symptoms of empyema can include fever, cough, and chest pain, and it requires treatment, which may involve antibiotics and procedures to drain the infected fluid.

Bacteremia, sepsis, and pneumothorax describe different medical conditions that are not directly related to the accumulation and infection of fluid in the pleural space caused by pneumonia. Bacteremia refers to bacteria entering the bloodstream, sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response to infection that can lead to organ failure, and pneumothorax involves air in the pleural space, which is a separate condition from fluid collection. Thus, empyema specifically describes the infection-related buildup of fluid in the chest associated with pneumonia.