Question: My dad is 82 years of age --

1.     his heart function is at 40% because of a prior heart attack years ago
2.     A few months ago, he underwent prostate surgery because he was not urinating completely
3.     2 weeks ago, he coughed up blood and had a fever & was admitted to the hospital, they diagnosed him pneumonia, he was treated with antibiotics
4.     they also treated his esophagus, because he has had trouble swallowing, for years
5.     it was also discovered there was significant fluid in his lungs, along with inflammation, and other issues, so they drained the lungs with medications & catheter
6.     he is still in the hospital and continues to cough up blood, but the fever has resolved
7.     Dr. has conducted numerous scans/tests including: lung scans, x-rays, CTs, and they are also testing his heart with an echo,
8.     Do you have any suggestions, about why he continues to cough up blood?
9.     And what could be the cause of all the fluid and inflammation in the lungs?
10.     Thank you.

Dr. -- thank you for your response
     
1.     it appears the pulmonologist is close to a diagnosis: He believes that heart failure may be the underlying cause, he also believes that my father has a touch of pneumonia
2.     So far, he did not find any malignancy in the lung, and my father has been vaccinated for TB
3.     In the past my father had 40% ejection fraction, now he may be closer to 25%
4.     do you know what could have caused this decline in his heart since he takes great precautions with his diet? Although, he is unable to exercise because of a knee problem, and he drinks alcohol daily
5.     can ejection fraction be improved?
6.     if so, how?

Thank you & happy new year !