A 68-Year-Old Man Comes to the Physician for a Routine

A 68-year-old man comes to the physician for a routine health maintenance examination. He has had increasing shortness of breath and a productive cough for the past 1 year. He feels breathlessness when walk up a flight of stairs. He has hypertension and his only medication is amlodipine. He smoked 1 pack of cigarettes daily for 30 years but quit 6 years ago. His pulse is 98/min, respirations are 25/min and blood pressure is 134/88 mm Hg. Pulse oximetry on room air shows an oxygen saturation of 92% at rest and 85% with mild exertion. Scattered expiratory wheezing and rhonchi are heard throughout both lung fields. Which of the following additional findings is most likely to be seen in this patient?

A) Decreased functional residual capacity
B) Decreased right ventricular afterload
C) Increased erythropoietin production
D) Increased expiratory flow rates
E) Increased left ventricular compliance

Correct Answer:

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