Question

A client with heart failure asks, "Why am I taking a 'water pill' when it's my heart that is having a problem?" While educating the client about the Frank-Starling mechanism, which of the following explanations is most appropriate to share?A)"You must be drinking way too many liquids. Your kidneys cannot filter all that you are drinking during the day."B)"Since your heart is not pumping efficiently, the kidneys are getting less blood flow; therefore,the kidneys are holding on to sodium and water."C)"Your heart muscle is overstretched, so it's not able to pump all the blood out. The prescribed 'water pills' help by decreasing your weight."D)"Since your heart function is impaired, the lungs are not able to oxygenate the blood and your kidneys are wearing out

Answer 1

B)"Since your heart is not pumping efficiently, the kidneys are getting less blood flow; therefore,the kidneys are holding on to sodium and water."

Step-by-step explanation:

The Frank-Starling Mechanism, is a cardiology concept, to refer to the heart's ability to adapt to changes in blood volume by modifying its contractility. Thus, when more blood enters (greater preload) the contraction force increases and the amount of blood pumped into the aorta and when less blood enters (less preload) less blood comes out.

This mechanism serves to understand how the heart behaves when more blood enters, for example when saline is introduced, or a water pill, and when less blood enters, for example if the patient is dehydrated or has significant bleeding. For this reason, we may think that the best answer to your question is "Since your heart is not pumping efficiently, your kidneys are receiving less blood flow, so your kidneys are holding sodium and water."