[Expert Solution]: PRODLEM: Elaine Caulder, a 50 -year-old…

PRODLEM: Elaine Caulder, a 50 -year-old widow who lives with her sister in a small upstairs apartment noticed increasing diffloufty making if up the stairs over the past two months. In addition to this change, she has notleed more diffoulfy sleoping at right due to problems breathing while lying in a recumbent position, and in the last week, she has had to sleep in a recining chair in the fiving room. When she came to the clinic, her appearance showed obvious fatigue, moist rales were heard upon auscuilation of the lungs, and her pulse rate was 100 per minute and irregular, the was moderately cyanotb, and had pitting edema in both ankles. Chest x-fay revealed pulmonary edema and a moderately enlarged ieart. The diagnosis was congestive heart fallure upon her admission, and she was placed on a low iodium diet, diuretics, and potasslum supplement. Which of the following is the most likely reason Mrs. Vaulder had diffoulty breathing while reclining?