The nurse is assessing a patient who is admitted with a persistent cough and is diagnosed with pulmonary edema.Which assessment finding supports the patient's diagnosis?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Large amounts of frothy, pink-tinged sputum are indicative of pulmonary edema, which is the seepage of fluid from the pulmonary capillaries into the lung tissue and airspaces. This is often caused by heart failure, pneumonia or other causes of lung inflammation. Foul smelling sputum may indicate a bacterial infection, but is not necessarily related to pulmonary edema. Clear, whitish, or yellow sputum, and clear to gray sputum with occasional specks of brown may be seen in various respiratory conditions, but do not specifically support a diagnosis of pulmonary edema.

The Nurse Is Assessing a Patient Who Is Admitted with a Persistent