Which finding is a sign of right-sided heart failure?

• A. Jugular vein distension
• B. Pulmonary edema
• C. Cerebral edema
• D. Rales

Answer: (A)

Right-sided heart failure causes blood to back up into the systemic venous system, raising central venous pressure. That congestion shows up as jugular venous distension, which is a classic sign because you can observe the neck veins visibly bulging when the patient is at a reclining or semi-upright angle. Pulmonary edema and rales come from fluid backing up into the lungs, which is a result of left-sided failure, not right. Cerebral edema isn’t a typical indicator of heart failure in this context. So the distended neck veins best reflect the backward flow of blood into the systemic circulation seen with right-sided failure.