Faces of Right Ventricular Failure

Although heart failure typically begins with the left side of the heart, it is also important for cardiologists to understand right-sided heart failure, which is the inability of the right side of the heart to adequately pump venous blood into the pulmonary circulation. Right heart failure causes a back-up of fluid in the body, resulting in swelling and edema. This issue covers the normal right ventricle (RV), imaging of the RV, RV failure in a variety of settings, and tratmen tof RV failure, including interventions.