Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) Practice Exam

When managing acute LVHF, what position should the patient be in?

1. Supine

2. Fowler's position

3. Sitting up

4. Lying on their side

The correct answer is: Sitting up

In managing acute left ventricular heart failure (LVHF), placing the patient in a sitting position is highly beneficial. This position helps alleviate the symptoms of dyspnea, or difficulty breathing, which is common in LVHF. When a patient is sitting upright, gravity assists in reducing venous return to the heart, thereby decreasing preload, which can help ease the strain on the left ventricle and improve respiratory function. Sitting up also encourages more effective lung expansion, facilitating better oxygenation and gas exchange. Moreover, this position helps patients use accessory muscles of respiration more effectively, which can be critical when they are experiencing significant respiratory distress due to fluid overload associated with heart failure. Other positions, such as lying supine or on the side, would not provide the same relief from symptoms and could exacerbate the patient's condition by increasing venous return and potentially worsening pulmonary congestion.