Death rattle describes which sign?

Death rattle describes which sign?

• A. Weakness on one side of the body post-CVA.
• B. Sound indicating fluid in the throat before death.
• C. Rapid heartbeat.
• D. Fever.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that the death rattle is the gurgling sound produced by secretions in the upper airway as a person nears death and loses the ability to swallow and clear them. When saliva and airway fluids accumulate and the swallow and cough reflex weaken, air passing through those secretions creates that distinctive rattling sound. That’s why describing it as a sound indicating fluid in the throat before death fits best. The other options don’t describe this phenomenon: weakness on one side after a stroke is a neurological deficit from a CVA; rapid heartbeat isn’t characteristic of the death rattle; fever points to infection or inflammation.

The main idea is that the death rattle is the gurgling sound produced by secretions in the upper airway as a person nears death and loses the ability to swallow and clear them. When saliva and airway fluids accumulate and the swallow and cough reflex weaken, air passing through those secretions creates that distinctive rattling sound. That’s why describing it as a sound indicating fluid in the throat before death fits best.

The other options don’t describe this phenomenon: weakness on one side after a stroke is a neurological deficit from a CVA; rapid heartbeat isn’t characteristic of the death rattle; fever points to infection or inflammation.