Advanced heart failure and transplantation — MCQs

A 10-year-old boy is presented to the hospital for a kidney transplant. In the operating room, the surgeon connects an allograft kidney renal artery to the aorta, and after a few moments, the kidney becomes cyanotic, edematous, and dusky with mottling. Which of the following in the recipient’s serum is responsible for this rejection?

A 56-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of progressively worsening shortness of breath and fever for 2 days. He also has a nonproductive cough. He does not have chest pain or headache. He has chronic myeloid leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant 3 months ago. His current medications include busulfan, mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, and methylprednisolone. His temperature is 38.1°C (100.6°F), pulse is 103/min, respirations are 26/min, and blood pressure is 130/70 mm Hg. Pulse oximetry on room air shows an oxygen saturation of 93%. Pulmonary examination shows diffuse crackles. The spleen tip is palpated 4 cm below the left costal margin. Laboratory studies show: Hemoglobin 10.3 g/dL Leukocyte count 4,400/mm3 Platelet count 160,000/mm3 Serum Glucose 78 mg/dL Creatinine 2.1 mg/dL D-dimer 96 ng/mL (N < 250) pp65 antigen positive Galactomannan antigen negative Urinalysis is normal. An x-ray of the chest shows diffuse bilateral interstitial infiltrates. An ECG shows sinus tachycardia. Which of the following is the most appropriate pharmacotherapy?

A 43-year-old woman presents to the emergency department complaining of palpitations, dry cough, and shortness of breath for 1 week. She immigrated to the United States from Korea at the age of 20. She says that her heart is racing and she has never felt these symptoms before. Her cough is dry and is associated with shortness of breath that occurs with minimal exertion. Her past medical history is otherwise unremarkable. She has no allergies and is not currently taking any medications. She is a nonsmoker and an occasional drinker. She denies illicit drug use. Her blood pressure is 100/65 mm Hg, pulse is 76/min, respiratory rate is 23/min, and temperature is 36.8°C (98.2°F). Her physical examination is significant for bibasilar lung crackles and a non-radiating, low-pitched, mid-diastolic rumbling murmur best heard at the apical region. In addition, she has jugular vein distention and bilateral pitting edema in her lower extremities. Which of the following best describes the infectious agent that led to this patient’s condition?

A 72-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department by ambulance after an unexpected fall at home 1 hour ago. She was resuscitated at the scene by paramedics before being transferred to the hospital. She has a history of ischemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. She has not taken any sedative medications. Her GCS is 6. She is connected to a mechanical ventilator. Her medical records show that she signed a living will 5 years ago, which indicates her refusal to receive any type of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intubation, or maintenance of life support on mechanical ventilation. Her son, who has a durable power-of-attorney for her healthcare decisions, objects to the discontinuation of mechanical ventilation and wishes that his mother be kept alive without suffering in the chance that she might recover. Which of the following is the most appropriate response to her son regarding his wishes for his mother?

A 71-year-old woman with a past medical history of type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension was admitted to the hospital 8 hours ago with substernal chest pain for management of acute non-ST-elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The ECG findings noted by ST-depressions and T-wave inversions on anterolateral leads, which is also accompanied by elevated cardiac enzymes. Upon diagnosis, management with inhaled oxygen therapy, beta-blockers and aspirin, and low-molecular-weight heparin therapy were initiated, and she was placed on bed rest with continuous electrocardiographic monitoring. Since admission, she required 2 doses of sublingual nitroglycerin for recurrent angina, and the repeat troponin levels continued to rise. Given her risk factors, plans were made for early coronary angiography. The telemetry nurse calls the on-call physician because of her concern with the patient's mild confusion and increasing need for supplemental oxygen. At bedside evaluation, The vital signs include: heart rate 122/min, blood pressure 89/40 mm Hg, and the pulse oximetry is 91% on 6L of oxygen by nasal cannula. The telemetry and a repeat ECG show sinus tachycardia. She is breathing rapidly, appears confused, and complains of shortness of breath. On physical exam, the skin is cool and clammy and appears pale and dull. She has diffuse bilateral pulmonary crackles, and an S3 gallop is noted on chest auscultation with no new murmurs. She has jugular venous distention to the jaw-line, rapid and faint radial pulses, and 1+ dependent edema. She is immediately transferred to the intensive care unit for respiratory support and precautions for airway security. The bedside sonography shows abnormal hypodynamic anterior wall movement and an ejection fraction of 20%, but no evidence of mitral regurgitation or ventricular shunt. The chest X-ray demonstrates cephalization of pulmonary veins and pulmonary edema. What is the most appropriate next step in the stabilization of this patient?

A 72-year-old woman comes to the emergency department because of a 2-week history of worsening shortness of breath, lower extremity swelling, and a 3-kg (6.6-lb) weight gain. Crackles are heard on auscultation of the chest. Cardiac examination shows a dull, low-pitched early diastolic sound at the 5th left intercostal space that becomes louder in the left lateral decubitus position at end-expiration. Which of the following is the most likely cause of these auscultation findings?

The serum brain natriuretic peptide and N-terminal pro-BNP are elevated. A diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is made. In addition to supplemental oxygen therapy, which of the following is the most appropriate initial step in management?

A 59-year-old woman presents to the physician for a 3-month history of progressively worsening shortness of breath on exertion and swelling of her legs. She has a history of breast cancer that was treated with surgery, followed by doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide therapy 4 years ago. Cardiac examination shows an S3 gallop, but there are no murmurs or rubs. Examination of the lower extremities shows pitting edema below the knees. Echocardiography is most likely to show which of the following sets of changes in this patient? Aorto-ventricular pressure gradient Diastolic function Ventricular cavity size Ventricular wall thickness A Normal ↓ Normal Normal B Normal Normal ↑ ↑ C Normal ↓ ↑ ↑ D ↑ ↓ ↑ ↑ E Normal Normal ↑ ↓

A 66-year-old man presents to the emergency department with dyspnea. Two days ago, he hosted his grandchild's birthday party, and since has noticed general malaise, fever, and dry cough. He does not know if he feels more dyspneic while supine or standing but has noticed difficulty breathing even while watching television. He has a past medical history of congestive heart failure and hypertension, for which he takes aspirin, metoprolol, furosemide, lisinopril, and spironolactone as prescribed. His blood pressure is 90/50 mmHg, pulse is 120/min, and respirations are 30/min. His radial pulse is barely palpable, and his wrists and ankles are cold and clammy. Physical exam reveals a S3 and S4 with a soft holosystolic murmur at the apex, decreased breath sounds up to the middle lung fields, jugular venous distention to the auricles, and 3+ pitting edema to the mid thighs. EKG shows ST depressions consistent with demand ischemia. Bedside echocardiogram shows global akinesis with an ejection fraction (EF) of 20%; previous reports show EF at 40%. A portable chest radiograph shows bilateral pulmonary edema. Metoprolol is held, dobutamine and furosemide drips are started, and BiPAP is started at 20/5 cm H2O. After 15 minutes, the nurse reports that urine output is minimal and blood pressure is now 75/40 mmHg and pulse is 130/min. What is the best next step in management?

A 70-year-old male presents for an annual exam. His past medical history is notable for shortness of breath when he sleeps, and upon exertion. Recently he has experienced dyspnea and lower extremity edema that seems to be worsening. Both of these symptoms have resolved since he was started on several medications and instructed to weigh himself daily. Which of the following is most likely a component of his medical management?