Which is a late sign of heart failure?

Which is a late sign of heart failure?

• A. Shortness of breath
• B. Orthopnea
• C. Edema
• D. Frothy-blood tinged sputum

Answer: (D)

The late sign is the frothy, pink-tinged sputum that appears when fluid has flooded the lungs (pulmonary edema) from left-sided heart failure. As heart failure progresses, fluid backs up into the lungs, and alveolar spaces fill with fluid. This produces a characteristic frothy sputum that may be blood-tinged, reflecting capillary leakage and more severe congestion. That level of pulmonary edema marks decompensation and is considered a late finding. Early signs of heart failure are things like shortness of breath with exertion and orthopnea (difficulty breathing when lying flat) as the lungs begin to fill with fluid. Peripheral edema can develop with chronic volume overload, but the dramatic pink frothy sputum indicates that the pulmonary edema is advanced and the patient is in a decompensated, emergent state.

The late sign is the frothy, pink-tinged sputum that appears when fluid has flooded the lungs (pulmonary edema) from left-sided heart failure. As heart failure progresses, fluid backs up into the lungs, and alveolar spaces fill with fluid. This produces a characteristic frothy sputum that may be blood-tinged, reflecting capillary leakage and more severe congestion. That level of pulmonary edema marks decompensation and is considered a late finding.

Early signs of heart failure are things like shortness of breath with exertion and orthopnea (difficulty breathing when lying flat) as the lungs begin to fill with fluid. Peripheral edema can develop with chronic volume overload, but the dramatic pink frothy sputum indicates that the pulmonary edema is advanced and the patient is in a decompensated, emergent state.