A nurse is assessing a patient who has heart failure. The patient complains of shortness of breath, and the nurse auscultates crackles in both lungs. The nurse understands that these symptoms are the result of:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In the failing heart, Starling's law breaks down, and the force of contraction no longer increases in proportion to the amount of ventricular filling. The result is the backup of blood into the lungs and the symptoms of shortness of breath and crackles caused by fluid. Increased ventricular contraction would not result in a backup of blood into the lungs. Changes in ventricular filling are not the direct cause of this symptom.

A Nurse Is Assessing a Patient Who Has Heart Failure