A 68-year-old man comes to the emergency department complaining of shortness of breath. One hour ago,

A 68-year-old man comes to the emergency department complaining of shortness of breath. One hour ago, while attending his nephew’s birthday party, the patient suddenly felt chest tightness with dizziness, and he was unable to catch his breath. Medical history includes type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Medications include insulin, simvastatin, and lisinopril. He quit smoking 20 years ago. The patient’s temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F), pulse is 190/min, respirations are 26/min, and blood pressure is 80/50 mmHg. Physical examination reveals the patient to be pale and in mild distress. Lung auscultation demonstrates clear breath sounds bilaterally. ECG shows the following: Reproduced from: Wikimedia Commons Synchronized electrical cardioversion is attempted; however, the patient loses a pulse immediately afterwards. After 10 rounds of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the patient is pronounced dead. Which of the following processes was the most likely contributor to this patient’s cause of death? Elimination tool Alveolar wall destruction Non-enzymatic glycosylation Epigenetic DNA repair gene silencing Nodular glomerulosclerosis Osmotic cellular damage