A 53-Year-Old Man Comes to the Emergency Department Due to Fever

question 226

Multiple Choice

A 53-year-old man comes to the emergency department due to fever and progressive weakness over the last 2 weeks.  Yesterday, he also developed shortness of breath.  The patient emigrated from Eastern Europe 2 years ago and says he was diagnosed with "heart disease" in the distant past, but he does not recall any details.  He does not use tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs.  Despite receiving appropriate medical care, the patient expires during hospitalization.  On autopsy, gross examination of his heart shows large, friable masses on the mitral valve with extensive destruction of cuspal tissue. Which of the following is the most likely predisposing factor for this patient's presenting condition?

• A)Myocardial hypertrophy
• B)Myocardial thinning and fibrosis
• C)Pericardial effusion
• D)Rupture of chordae tendineae
• E)Valvular inflammation and scarring

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Definitions:

Repeating

The act of saying or doing something again, often to practice, reinforce learning, or ensure comprehension.

Ambiguous Figures

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Chambers And Reisberg

Researchers who conducted a study emphasizing the differences in mental imagery processes, particularly how descriptive and pictorial representations of stimuli influence cognitive tasks.

Duck/Rabbit

An illustration used as a visual perceptual experiment, demonstrating that a single image can be interpreted in two different ways: as a duck or a rabbit.