Left-sided congestive heart failure is commonly indicated by which finding?

Left-sided congestive heart failure is commonly indicated by which finding?

• A. Pulmonary edema with productive cough
• B. Orthopnea only
• C. Orthopnea and productive cough
• D. JVD

Answer: (C)

Left-sided heart failure causes pressure to back up into the lungs, leading to pulmonary edema. The hallmark signs come from fluid in the lung tissues: orthopnea is the shortness of breath that worsens when lying down because more blood returns to the heart, increasing pulmonary congestion, and a productive cough results from edema fluid in the airways. Together, orthopnea and a productive cough reflect the lung-centered congestion of left-sided failure. JVD is more typical of right-sided or biventricular congestion, not the primary left-sided picture.

Left-sided heart failure causes pressure to back up into the lungs, leading to pulmonary edema. The hallmark signs come from fluid in the lung tissues: orthopnea is the shortness of breath that worsens when lying down because more blood returns to the heart, increasing pulmonary congestion, and a productive cough results from edema fluid in the airways. Together, orthopnea and a productive cough reflect the lung-centered congestion of left-sided failure. JVD is more typical of right-sided or biventricular congestion, not the primary left-sided picture.