What is a common symptom of congestive heart failure?

Crackling breath sounds, often described as "rales," are a common symptom associated with congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF leads to fluid overload in the lungs due to the heart's inability to effectively pump blood, causing pulmonary congestion. This fluid causes the alveoli, the tiny air sacs in the lungs, to fill with fluid, leading to abnormal lung sounds during auscultation.

When a healthcare provider listens with a stethoscope, these crackling sounds can indicate the presence of fluid in the lungs, which is a hallmark sign of congestive heart failure. The presence of these sounds is significant as it can guide the provider in making a clinical judgment and securing appropriate interventions, such as diuretics to help reduce the fluid overload.

The other options may not be directly related to CHF symptoms. Wheezing can occur in conditions like asthma or COPD and does not specifically indicate fluid overload. Hyperventilation often relates to anxiety or respiratory issues but is not a sign of CHF. A decreased respiratory rate is not typically associated with CHF; instead, patients often experience tachypnea, an increased respiratory rate due to the struggle to oxygenate adequately in the setting of pulmonary congestion.