Western Governors University (WGU) D446 Adult Health II Practice Exam

In heart failure management, drugs that both relieve symptoms and improve outcomes are essential. Loop diuretics like furosemide address fluid overload and edema quickly, helping to reduce congestion and improve breathing and comfort. ACE inhibitors counter the harmful activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, decreasing afterload and preventing adverse remodeling of the heart, which translates to better survival and fewer hospitalizations in many patients with systolic dysfunction. These two classes together represent a core pharmacologic approach to treating heart failure. Other options don’t fit the typical treatment goals. Antibiotics treat infection, not heart failure itself, and insulin is used for diabetes management, not HF treatment. Calcium channel blockers are not the primary therapy for heart failure and, depending on the type of HF, may not provide the same mortality and symptom-relief benefits as the combination of diuretics and ACE inhibitors.