[Right heart failure and cor pulmonale]

Whereas the right ventricle tolerates volume loads without any substantial increase of the pressure in the pulmonary circulation by recruiting capacitance vessels and capillaries, it possesses only small contractile reserves and reacts unadapted with right ventricular dysfunction. Its size and pressure load are relevant factors for prognosis of all forms of pulmonary hypertension, in particular if linked to left-sided heart failure. Differentiation of pulmonary hypertension according to the Venice classification is highly important. Right-sided ventricular heart failure worsens left ventricular hemodynamics due to reduced ejection fraction and in addition due to direct diastolic ventricular interaction in which left ventricular diastolic dysfunction increases even though the left ventricular systolic function is still intact. Right ventricular ejection fraction <40% is an important predictor of prognosis after myocardial infarction or chronic stages of left ventricular heart failure. The most important noninvasive diagnostic method is transthoracic echocardiography with determination of the Tei index and Doppler echocardiographic estimation of pulmonary artery pressure. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the most frequent cause of cor pulmonale. While long-term oxygen therapy in patients with COPD and cor pulmonale and for example the administration of endothelin receptor antagonists in patients with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension is beneficial, the therapeutic use of drugs effective for left-sided heart failure is very limited in patients with right ventricular dysfunction.