During acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the client's lung cells that produce surfactant have become damaged. The nurse knows this pathologic change will lead to what outcome?

A. Damage to surfactant-producing cells in ARDS reduces alveolar stability, leading to alveolar collapse and increased capillary permeability, which results in pulmonary edema. B. ARDS primarily affects the alveoli and lung parenchyma, not the upper airway. C. Bronchoconstriction is more common in asthma and not a primary feature of ARDS. D. Pulmonary fibrosis is a potential long-term complication of ARDS but not an immediate outcome of surfactant loss.