College

A 56-year-old Caucasian male presents to the emergency department with a six-hour history of burning substernal pain. His past medical history is unremarkable, and he takes no medications. He smokes two packs of cigarettes every day and consumes alcohol occasionally. An ECG performed in the emergency department reveals ST segment elevation in leads I and V3-V6. During the next several hours, the patient develops progressive shortness of breath. He is unable to lie still in bed and insists on sitting up.

Which of the following histologic features is most likely to be newly present in this patient's lung tissue?

Answer :

Final answer:

The most likely histologic features to be newly present in this patient's lung tissue are interstitial edema, alveolar damage, and inflammatory infiltrates.

Explanation:

In this case, the patient's presentation is consistent with a myocardial infarction (heart attack) based on the symptoms of substernal pain, ST-segment elevation on ECG, and progressive shortness of breath. The ST segment elevation in lead I and V3-V6 indicates involvement of the anterior wall of the heart.

During a myocardial infarction, the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, leading to tissue damage. This can result in complications such as pulmonary edema or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can affect the histologic features of the lung tissue.

One of the histologic features that may be newly present in this patient's lung tissue is interstitial edema. Pulmonary edema is the accumulation of fluid in the interstitial spaces and alveoli of the lungs, which can be caused by increased pressure in the pulmonary circulation due to heart failure.

Another possible histologic feature is alveolar damage. The increased pressure in the pulmonary circulation can cause damage to the alveoli, leading to impaired gas exchange and further contributing to shortness of breath.

Inflammatory infiltrates may also be present in the lung tissue. In response to tissue damage and inflammation, immune cells can migrate to the lung tissue, leading to the presence of inflammatory cells.

Learn more about histologic features here:

https://brainly.com/question/29310465

#SPJ14