A 42-year-old man presents to the ED with a complaint of increasing shortness of breath when walking to get his newspaper, difficulty
breathing while lying flat, and a 4.5-kg (10-lb) weight gain over the last month. He is afebrile, his pulse is 75/min, and his blood pressure is 98/50 mm Hg. On examination he smells of alcohol and has 2+ pitting edema in the lower extremities and a third heart sound. X-ray of the chest reveals cardiomegaly. What findings, other than those listed above, must be present in order to confirm this man’s underlying diagnosis?
(A) Hepatojugular reflux and pulmonary congestion
(B) Left ventricular dilation and aortic insufficiency
(C) Left ventricular dilation and systolic dysfunction
(D) Myocardial thickening and diastolic dysfunction
(E) Pulmonary congestion and diastolic dysfunction
breathing while lying flat, and a 4.5-kg (10-lb) weight gain over the last month. He is afebrile, his pulse is 75/min, and his blood pressure is 98/50 mm Hg. On examination he smells of alcohol and has 2+ pitting edema in the lower extremities and a third heart sound. X-ray of the chest reveals cardiomegaly. What findings, other than those listed above, must be present in order to confirm this man’s underlying diagnosis?
(A) Hepatojugular reflux and pulmonary congestion
(B) Left ventricular dilation and aortic insufficiency
(C) Left ventricular dilation and systolic dysfunction
(D) Myocardial thickening and diastolic dysfunction
(E) Pulmonary congestion and diastolic dysfunction