An emergency department physician evaluates a 67-year-old man due to four days of escalating dyspnea and nocturnal coughing. The patient reports having to sleep upright in a recliner to avoid respiratory distress. His medical background includes type 2 diabetes, essential hypertension, and osteoarthritis. He recently began taking over-the-counter ibuprofen around the clock for severe knee pain. He smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 35 years but ceased a decade ago. Temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F), blood pressure is 158/92 mm Hg, pulse is 112/min, and respirations are 22/min. Pulse oximetry is 92% on room air. Physical examination reveals an anxious patient utilizing accessory respiratory muscles. Jugular venous pressure is elevated at 11 cm H2O. Chest auscultation demonstrates bibasilar dullness to percussion and widespread expiratory wheezes. Cardiac evaluation shows a regular rhythm with a normal S1 and S2, accompanied by a low-frequency sound occurring shortly after S2. Moderate pitting edema is present up to the mid-shins bilaterally. Which of the following is the most appropriate initial pharmacotherapy for this patient?
- Intravenous bumetanideCevap
- BNebulized albuterol
- CIntravenous methylprednisolone
- DOral levofloxacin
- ESubcutaneous enoxaparin