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Five days after being admitted to the hospital for an open cholecystectomy, a 56-year-old woman develops difficulty breathing. She also has fevers, chills, and malaise. She has a cough productive of minimal amounts of yellowish-white sputum that started two days prior. She has type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a history of gallstones. Her current medications include metformin, lisinopril, and atorvastatin. Her temperature is 39.5°C (103.1°F), pulse is 104/minute, blood pressure is 94/68 mm Hg, and respirations are 30/minute. Pulse oximetry on 2 L of oxygen via nasal cannula shows an oxygen saturation of 92%. Examination reveals decreased breath sounds over the right lung base. Abdominal examination shows a well-healing scar without erythema or discharge in the right upper quadrant. The skin is warm and well-perfused. Her hemoglobin concentration is 10.5 g/dL, leukocyte count is 16,000/mm3, platelet count is 345,000/mm3, and creatinine is 1.5 mg/dL. She is admitted to the ICU and started on IV fluids. Blood and urine for cultures are obtained. X-ray of the chest reveals a right sided pleural effusion. Which of the following is the next best step in management?

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