A 65-Year-Old Man Who Has a Lengthy History of Smoking

A 65-year-old man who has a lengthy history of smoking visits the emergency room complaining of chronic moderate cough and shortness of breath. Over the past week, his symptoms progressively worsened, but today they abruptly got worse. The patient has hypertension that is treated with hydrochlorothiazide. His temperature is 36.7 C (98 F) during examination, and his blood pressure, pulse, and respirations are 135/85 mm Hg and 94/min, respectively. On room air, pulse oximetry displays 86 percent. There are less breath noises coming from his right chest. The picture below shows an x-ray of his chest. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's radiographic findings?

A) Fluid in the alveolar spaces
B) Interstitial lung disease
C) Pleural space disease
D) Pulmonary vascular disease
E) Right mainstem bronchus obstruction

Correct Answer:

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