Right-sided heart failure is a condition that can be acute or chronic, and that affects the heart that is the central organ of the circulatory system.

The right side of the heart enters venous blood (depletion of oxygen) that is at rest 60-70 times provided in the pulmonary circulation. In the lungs where the pulmonary bubbles fill the air with each breath, oxygen gas exchange enters the red blood cells. Such oxygen-rich blood enters the left side of the heart (arterial blood).

When does right-sided heart failure occur?

Acute Right-sided heart failure usually occurs due to a heart attack muscular wall of the right ventricle (which is less than the left ventricle) or extensive pulmonary thromboembolism, and manifested a severe clinical picture of low blood pressure, swollen jugular veins, pain under the right side of the rib, wheezing, poor general condition, pain in the chest – these things are the main symptoms of the condition called right-sided heart failure.

Is the right-sided heart failure a serious condition?

Right-sided heart failure is a serious condition, and we must remember that. Cavity of the right side of the heart is then due to elevated pressure in the pulmonary circulation and weakening of muscles expand, valve between the atrium and ventricle does not “close” properly and spaces, and the blood from the pulmonary circulation returns to the systemic venous circulation (upper and lower vena cava, the liver and other abdominal organs and legs). Right-sided heart failure is having a huge impact on patient’s lounges. In chronic loosening the right side of the lungs are talking about chronic pulmonary heart where loose the right side of the heart occurs due to chronic lung tissue at the level of the bronchi and alveoli (COPD-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and / or emphysema, bronchial asthma, various inflammatory diseases: sarcoidosis, tuberculosis or other infectious diseases that affect most of the lung tissue, collagenosis, some medications).

Also, it causes damage to the pulmonary circulation (due to the smaller but recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism clot or tumor masses and inflammatory diseases of pulmonary artery, primary pulmonary hypertension, so far unknown causes). It also causes obesity, short stops breathing in sleep (sleep apnea syndrome), and some nerve and muscle diseases, deformities of the chest. All of these conditions have a lot of in common with right-sided heart failure.

Right-sided heart failure causes hypoxia

Right-sided heart failure is a diseases that also causes hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the lungs and circulation), causing vasoconstriction (“squeezing”) of pulmonary arterioles (smallest arteries), which in turn eventually leads to a “thickening” of the blood vessels and high blood pressure pulmonary circulation (for example, secondary pulmonary hypertension). Other reasons for right-sided heart failure are diseases of the left heart, and retrograde (secondary) burdens the pulmonary circulation, an increase of pressure in the pulmonary circulation, easing the load and then the right side of the heart usually talking about the global heart failure. This condition is very serious and should be controlled by doctors and you should visit him when you think you have problems with your heart or you had someone in the family that had a right-sided heart failure.