The nurse is caring for a child diagnosed with ventricular septal defect (VSD) who is scheduled for a surgical repair tomorrow morning. When the nurse auscultates the child's lungs sounds, the nurse notes diffuse crackles and rales throughout the lung fields. The nurse interprets this assessment as which of the following?

A. Foreign body aspiration is characterized by sudden onset of coughing, choking, and wheezing, not crackles and rales. B. Systemic congestion refers to peripheral edema and does not usually present with crackles in the lungs. C. Pneumonia would present with localized crackles or rales over specific lung areas and often includes fever and cough, which are not mentioned here. D. Pulmonary congestion is common in children with VSD, particularly when the left side of the heart cannot effectively pump blood, leading to fluid accumulation in the lungs. Crackles and rales indicate this type of fluid buildup.