Question

A patient comes to the clinic with shortness of breath and cough. She states that her shortness of breath worsens when laying down. The nurse practitioner orders a chest x-ray. Which of the following findings may indicate heart failure?

a. Kerley B lines
b. Lower lobe pulmonary venous congestion
c. Infiltrates in lower lobes
d. Lobar consolidation

Answer 1

A chest x-ray showing Kerley B lines or lower lobe pulmonary venous congestion may indicate heart failure, while infiltrates and lobar consolidation are commonly associated with pneumonia.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the scenario where a patient presents with symptoms such as shortness of breath that worsens when lying down and a cough, a nurse practitioner may consider the possibility of heart failure. On a chest x-ray, findings that may indicate heart failure include Kerley B lines, which are horizontal opaque lines caused by pulmonary edema due to congestive heart failure. Another indication on an x-ray could be lower lobe pulmonary venous congestion, which represents fluid accumulation in the pulmonary veins that can occur in heart failure. The other options provided, such as infiltrates in lower lobes and lobar consolidation, are typically more indicative of infections like pneumonia, rather than heart failure.