Which condition is right-sided heart failure secondary to chronic lung disease?

Which condition is right-sided heart failure secondary to chronic lung disease?

• A. Rhonchi
• B. Trismus
• C. Cor Pulmonale
• D. DIC

Answer: (C)

Cor pulmonale is right-sided heart failure caused by chronic lung disease. When lung problems persist, they often trigger long-standing low oxygen levels that provoke vasoconstriction and structural changes in the pulmonary arteries. This raises resistance in the pulmonary circulation, forcing the right ventricle to work harder to push blood through the lungs. Over time the right ventricle hypertrophies and then fails, leading to signs of right-sided congestion such as edema, liver enlargement, and neck vein distension. Chronic lung diseases like COPD commonly lead to this condition because they sustain the pulmonary hypertension that drives the process. The other options aren’t about heart failure caused by lung disease: rhonchi are abnormal breath sounds from airway secretions, trismus is jaw muscle spasm, and DIC is a systemic coagulation disorder.

Cor pulmonale is right-sided heart failure caused by chronic lung disease. When lung problems persist, they often trigger long-standing low oxygen levels that provoke vasoconstriction and structural changes in the pulmonary arteries. This raises resistance in the pulmonary circulation, forcing the right ventricle to work harder to push blood through the lungs. Over time the right ventricle hypertrophies and then fails, leading to signs of right-sided congestion such as edema, liver enlargement, and neck vein distension. Chronic lung diseases like COPD commonly lead to this condition because they sustain the pulmonary hypertension that drives the process.

The other options aren’t about heart failure caused by lung disease: rhonchi are abnormal breath sounds from airway secretions, trismus is jaw muscle spasm, and DIC is a systemic coagulation disorder.