18th February 2025

Clinical features of cardiogenic pulmonary oedema

Common symptoms include:

• Progressive dyspnoea
• Fatigue
• Orthopnoea
• Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea
• Cough productive of pink frothy sputum
• Abdominal fullness and tenderness
• Ankle swelling
• Sweating and palpitations (from excess catecholamines)
• Other signs from underlying causes, e.g. chest pain from myocardial ischaemia

Common examination findings include:

• Tachypnoea and tachycardia
• Cool, pale and clammy peripherally
• Elevated jugular venous pressure
• Lung auscultation: bibasal crepitations, reduced basal air entry secondary to effusions, cardiac wheeze
• Murmurs if there is underlying valvular heart disease
• Pulsatile hepatomegaly
• Peripheral oedema