Question

A 78-year-old woman is seen in the emergency department for difficulty breathing and cough over the past 4 hours. She has a history of congestive heart failure for which she takes hydrochlorothiazide, metoprolol, and enalapril. Her oxygen saturation is 92% on room air. On examination there is a high-pitched systolic crescendodecrescendo murmur best heard at the right upper sternal border with radiation to the carotids, and rales are present in both lung fields on inspiration. There is 2+ symmetrical pitting edema bilaterally in the lower extremities. X-ray of thechest shows an enlarged heart and prominent pulmonary vasculature. Which of the following is themost likely cause of the patient’s pulmonary edema?

(A) Decreased capillary fluid oncotic pressure

(B) Decreased interstitial fluid hydrostatic pressure

(C) Increased capillary fluid hydrostatic pressure

(D) Increased capillary permeability

(E) Increased interstitial fluid oncotic pressure

Answer 1

⭐️The correct answer is A.

Answer 2

Answer:(A) Decreased capillary fluid oncotic pressure

Explanation:pulmonary edema is caused by reduced oncotic pressure, or when the patient has had endothelial injury mostly when the patient is already suffering from

Adult respiratory distress syndrome.

When plasm proteins is comprised due to being lost in urine this result to reduced oncotic pressure whilst filtration of fluid increases resulting to excess fluid.