A 60-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Emergency Department Due

question 175

Multiple Choice

A 60-year-old man is brought to the emergency department due to progressive dyspnea and cough. He has an upper respiratory tract infection 5 days ago and has a histroy of heart failure. On physical examination, jugular venous pressure is elevated, breath sounds are decreased at the right lung base with dullness to percussion, and 2+ bilateral lower extremity pitting edema is present.  Chest x-ray shows cephalization of the blood vessels, Kerley B lines, and a right pleural effusion.  Thoracentesis is performed for pleural fluid analysis.  In comparison to plasma fluid, which of the following pleural fluid findings is most likely to be observed?

• A)High amylase content
• B)High protein content
• C)High white blood cell count
• D)Low glucose content
• E)Low lactate dehydrogenase content

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