A 68-Year-Old Man Comes to the Emergency Department Due to a 1-Week

question 155

Multiple Choice

A 68-year-old man comes to the emergency department due to a 1-week history of increasing leg and abdominal swelling.  The patient has a history of pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale from advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  Other medical conditions include hypertension and gout.  Physical examination shows scattered rhonchi, prolonged expiratory phase of expiration, mild ascites, and extensive edema of the abdominal wall and lower extremities.  The patient is hospitalized and intravenous loop diuretic therapy is begun.  Two days later, acetazolamide is added to his treatment regimen.  Which of the following most likely prompted the additional therapy in this patient?

• A)Hyperuricemia
• B)Hypokalemia
• C)Inadequate diuresis
• D)Metabolic alkalosis
• E)Prerenal azotemia

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Definitions:

Default Risk

The probability that a borrower fails to meet the obligations of paying back the interest or principal on a debt on time.

Nominal Wages

Wages paid to employees that have not been adjusted for inflation, representing the amount of money earned in current dollars.

Inflation Rate

The rate at which the overall price level of goods and services increases, thereby reducing the buying power.

Nominal Wage Rates

The amount of money paid to an employee by an employer in current prices, without adjusting for inflation.