Following acute failure of left ventricle in man, pulmonary edema generally begins to appear when left atrial pressure approaches: March 2011

Ans. C: 25 mm Hg Acute LVF may be trigerred by a major event such as MI in a previously healthy hea An increase in the left ventricular diastolic pressure causes the pressure in the LA, pulmonary veins and pulmonary capillaries to rise. When the hydrostatic pressure of the pulmonary capillaries exceeds the oncotic pressure of the plasma (about 25-30 mm Hg), fluid moves from the capillaries into the alveoli