A 60-year-old man is brought to the emergency department due to progressive dyspnea and cough. He has an upper respiratory tract infection 5 days ago and has a histroy of heart failure. On physical examination, jugular venous pressure is elevated, breath sounds are decreased at the right lung base with dullness to percussion, and 2+ bilateral lower extremity pitting edema is present. Chest x-ray shows cephalization of the blood vessels, Kerley B lines, and a right pleural effusion. Thoracentesis is performed for pleural fluid analysis. In comparison to plasma fluid, which of the following pleural fluid findings is most likely to be observed?

Question

A 60-year-old man is brought to the emergency department due to progressive dyspnea and cough. He has an upper respiratory tract infection 5 days ago and has a histroy of heart failure. On physical examination, jugular venous pressure is elevated, breath sounds are decreased at the right lung base with dullness to percussion, and 2+ bilateral lower extremity pitting edema is present.  Chest x-ray shows cephalization of the blood vessels, Kerley B lines, and a right pleural effusion.  Thoracentesis is performed for pleural fluid analysis.  In comparison to plasma fluid, which of the following pleural fluid findings is most likely to be observed?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Pleural effusion is divided into transudative and exudative effusion. in this patient the heart failure can cause transudative effusion due to increase hydrostatic pressure in the pulmonary capillaries. In thoracentesis, a low protein and lactate dehydrogenase content will be seen compared to serum values.

A 60-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Emergency Department Due