This is a 69 year-old woman with a history of congestive heart failure and hypertension who presented with a productive cough which was worsening over the past 3-4 days and fever to 101 with chills and shakes and increasing shortness of breath. She had a white blood cell count of 9.3 with 54% polys and 9.6 % eosinophils, a glucose of 377, and a chest x-ray without evidence of congestive heart failure or infiltrate. She was treated in the emergency room with Albuterol nebulizer and plans were to discharge her to home, however, her saturations dropped to 89% on room air with exercise in the emergency room and was admitted for further observation. She was started on intravenous Cefuroxime, and initially improved with decrease in cough and shortness of breath; however, the patient continued to desat with exercise. A repeat chest x-ray was performed which showed no change when compared to the admission film. Her sputum culture grew out Pen-sensitive E-coli and she was continued on her intravenous and then PO antibiotics. She continued to desat with exercise, however, and her cough persisted although she remained afebrile with a slightly elevated white count and moderate peripheral eosinophilia. Her chest exam remained rancorous and the reason for this remained unclear. Given the finding of E-coli in the sputum sample, in addition to the elevated eosinophilia and lack of finding on chest x-ray despite significant findings on chest exam, the possibility of a worm or parasitic disease was raised. She had a Persantine MIBI in March of 1996, on which she had no fixed or reversible defects, and was on nitroglycerin for stable angina - "chest heaviness" after climbing one flight of stairs, relieved by rest and one sublingual nitroglycerin. Her medications on admission included Lasix 40 mg. per day, Insulin 70/30 28 units q a.m. and 5 units q p.m., Verapamil SR 120 mg PO b.i.d., Enteric coated aspirin 325 mg q day, KCL 10 mEq PO q day, Premarin 0.625 mg PO q day, Zestril 20 mg b.i.d., Atenolol, recently discontinued, Tofranil 75 mg PO q HS, Albuterol inhaler two puffs inhaled q.i.d., and Potassium slow release 10 mEq PO q day. She was discharged to home with Albuterol inhaler and instructions to follow up with her primary physician in clinic for further evaluation including PFTs and possible chest CT if symptoms did not abate, and to finish a full ten day course of antibiotics for presumed bronchitis. At the time of discharge the patient's saturation was 92 to 93% on room air and dropping slightly to 90 to 91% with exercise, however she was tolerating this well and was getting relief from her Albuterol inhaler.
Is the patient currently or have they ever taken verapamil sr
Verapamil SR 120 mg PO b.i.d., Enteric coated aspirin 325 mg q day,