During a scheduled winter visit to his primary care provider, a 64-year-old male patient reports a 72-hour history of escalating dyspnea and cough. He mentions that his usual morning sputum has become significantly more voluminous and opaque yellow in color over the past few days. His medical history is notable for severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring daily maintenance inhalers, and he has a 45-pack-year smoking history. At triage, his vital signs include a temperature of 37.3°C (99.1°F), a heart rate of 102/min, a blood pressure of 138/82 mm Hg, and a respiratory rate of 22/min. Room air oxygen saturation is 93%. Pulmonary auscultation reveals globally decreased breath sounds with prominent expiratory wheezing. The cardiac exam is unremarkable, with no elevated jugular venous pressure, normal heart sounds, and an absence of peripheral edema. Chest radiography confirms pulmonary hyperinflation without new infiltrates or effusions. Which of the following pharmacological interventions should be initiated as part of this patient's acute management plan? (Select all that apply.)
- Nebulized albuterol and ipratropiumCevap
- A short course of oral prednisoneCevap
- A five-day course of oral azithromycinCevap
- DIntravenous bumetanide
- EIntravenous cefepime