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Right sided heart failure or right sided congestive heart failure is also known as Cor pulmonale. It is a condition where the right side of the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's requirements. It is usually caused by high blood pressure.

The symptoms of right sided heart failure include:

• Shortness of breath: One of the first symptoms to appear
• Dizziness or light headedness: Another early symptom
• Fast heartbeat: Another early symptom

Unless treated early, the symptoms will continue and appear even with slight exertion or no exertion at all. Other symptoms will also appear including:

• Swelling in the feet and ankles
• Discomfort in the front of the chest
• Chest pain
• Fainting spells
• Chronic fatigue and weakness

A physical examination by your doctor may reveal:

• Enlargement of the liver
• Fluid buildup in the abdominal region
• Abnormal sounds from the heart
• Bluish skin
• Swelling in the neck veins

Other causes of right sided heart failure include:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Scarring of the lung tissue
• Chronic blood clots in the lung
• Kyphoscoliosis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

The goal of treatment for right sided heart failure is to control the symptoms that occur. The medical conditions that cause pulmonary hypertension also need to be treated. Some of the medications that your doctor may prescribe include:

• Sildanefil (Viagra)
• Ambrisentan (Letairis)
• Brosentan (Tracleer)
• Spironolactone
• Digitalis
• Diuretics such as furosemide (Lasix)
• Calcium channel blockers

Other treatments may include:

• Supplemental oxygen therapy
• A biventricular pacemaker may be installed in case of abnormalities in the ECG
• A heart-lung transplant in severe cases that do not respond to medication

Your doctor may also advise you to:

• Quit smoking
• Avoid strenuous activity
• Avoid visiting places at high altitudes
• Get regular influenza and pneumonia vaccines

The pathophysiology of right sided heart disease examines the changes that the disease causes in the heart. Some of these changes include:

• A reduced stroke volume in the right ventricle
• Reduced cardiac reserve or capacity of the heart to work harder during strenuous activity
• Increased heart rate puts further strain on the myocardium which can cause a worsening of ischemic heart disease
• Hypertrophy or increase in size of the myocardium
• Enlargement of the ventricles

References

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001186/

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