A client is admitted to the labor and delivery unit in active labor. During the examination, the nurse notes a papular lesion on the perineum. Which initial action is most appropriate?
A. Document the finding
B. Report the finding to the doctor
C. Prepare the client for a C-section
D. Continue primary care as prescribed
Correct Answer: B. Report the finding to the doctor
Any lesion should be reported to the doctor. This can indicate a herpes lesion. Clients with open lesions related to herpes are delivered by Cesarean section because there is a possibility of transmission of the infection to the fetus with direct contact to lesions. During pregnancy there is a higher risk of perinatal transmission with primary HSV infection than with recurrent infection. If a primary HSV outbreak is diagnosed in pregnancy, oral antiviral treatment may be administered to help reduce the duration and severity of symptoms and viral shedding.
Option A: It is not enough to document the finding. Viral or serologic testing should be performed to confirm suspected HSV infections; the basic groups of tests used are viral and antibody detection techniques. For viral detection, the primary testing techniques are viral culture and HSV antigen detection by polymerase chain reaction.
Option C: The physician must make the decision to perform a C-section. Cesarean delivery is recommended to prevent perinatal HSV transmission in women with active genital lesions or prodromal symptoms, but it is not recommended for women with HSV lesions found only on nongenital areas, such as the back, thigh, or buttock.
Option D: It is not enough to continue primary care. Antiviral agents commonly used to treat HSV infections are acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), and valacyclovir (Valtrex), which are all U.S. Food and Drug Administration pregnancy category B medications. For patients with more severe HSV infection, oral treatment can be used for more than 10 days if the lesions have not healed completely.