Which statement made by the client who has respiratory problems indicates the presence of orthopnea?
A. "I have to stop to catch my breath halfway up a flight of stairs."
B. "At night, I need to sleep either on three pillows or in my recliner."
C. "It seems I can't speak a complete sentence without stopping for breath."
D. "When I am eating a meal, I notice my heart usually starts to beat hard and fast."
B
Orthopnea is the sensation of dyspnea or breathlessness in the supine position. Clients feel that they cannot catch their breath in the supine position and must rest or sleep in a semisitting posi-tion by placing pillows behind their backs or by using a reclining chair. The degree of breath-lessness can be roughly measured by the number of pillows needed to make the client less dysp-neic (e.g., one-pillow orthopnea, two-pillow orthopnea).
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