After Being Dispatched for a Male Patient Experiencing Shortness of Breath

After being dispatched for a male patient experiencing shortness of breath, you arrive to find the confused 67-year-old man sitting upright at his kitchen table in severe respiratory distress. You also note remarkable swelling to his lower legs and feet. He has an open airway, but cannot speak more than two to three words without attempting to breathe. His breathing is extremely labored and his skin is cool, diaphoretic, and dusky in color. Family states a history of hypertension, congestive heart failure, and angina, for which he takes nitroglycerin. Your immediate action in caring for this patient is to:

A) assist the patient with his nitroglycerin.
B) apply but do not turn on the AED.
C) apply continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) .
D) obtain vital signs and give aspirin.