Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Practice Test

What does left-sided heart failure typically lead to?

1. Hypertension

2. Peripheral edema

3. Pulmonary edema

4. Acute kidney injury

The correct answer is: Pulmonary edema

Left-sided heart failure primarily affects the heart's ability to pump blood effectively to the rest of the body. When the left side of the heart is unable to function properly, blood starts to back up into the lungs. This backup leads to an increase in pressure within the pulmonary circulation, causing fluid to leak out of the blood vessels and into the lung tissue, which is referred to as pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema is characterized by symptoms such as difficulty breathing, a feeling of suffocation or drowning, particularly when lying down, and a cough that may produce frothy or blood-tinged sputum. This condition arises because the compromised pumping ability of the heart prevents it from managing the volume of blood returning from the lungs effectively, thereby causing congestion. While the other options may be associated with heart conditions in general or specific types of heart failure, they are not direct results of left-sided heart failure. For instance, hypertension can be a cause of left-sided heart failure rather than a consequence, and peripheral edema is more characteristic of right-sided heart failure, where fluid buildup occurs in the extremities. Acute kidney injury can occur in severe cases due to decreased perfusion but does not directly stem from the malfunction of the left heart chamber itself.