Question

The patient comes to the emergency department complaining of coughing and difficulty breathing. The patient's diagnosis is heart failure. He asks the nurse how difficulty breathing could be a heart problem. What is the best response by the nurse? Select all that apply.

1. "The right side of your heart has weakened and blood has entered your lungs."
2. "The right side of your heart has enlarged and cannot effectively pump blood."
3. "What you have is called congestive heart failure."
4. "The left side of your heart is weak and pumps blood too quickly."
5. "The left side of your heart has weakened and blood has entered your lungs."

Answer 1

Difficulty breathing can be a symptom of heart failure. In heart failure, the right or left side of the heart may weaken, causing blood to accumulate in the lungs and leading to difficulty in breathing.

Step-by-step explanation:

Difficulty breathing can be a symptom of heart failure. In heart failure, the right side of the heart may weaken or enlarge, leading to blood backing up into the lungs. This results in increased pressure in the arteries to the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing.

Another possibility is that the left side of the heart weakens, allowing blood to accumulate in the lungs. This can also lead to difficulty breathing.

So, both scenarios involving the right or left side of the heart can result in difficulty breathing in heart failure.