Right Ventricular Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension

Sara E Crager; Caroline Humphreys

doi:10.1016/j.emc.2022.05.006

Right Ventricular Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension

Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2022 Aug;40(3):519-537. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2022.05.006. Epub 2022 Jul 9.

Authors

Sara E Crager¹, Caroline Humphreys²

Affiliations

¹ Emergency Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 924 Westwood Boulevard, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Critical Care Anesthesia, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: sara.crager@gmail.com.
² Emergency Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 924 Westwood Boulevard, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

PMID: 35953215
DOI: 10.1016/j.emc.2022.05.006

Abstract

Right ventricular dysfunction is an important component of the pathophysiology of several disorders commonly encountered in the emergency department (ED). Interventions often performed routinely early in the ED course such as fluid administration and endotracheal intubation have the potential to cause precipitous clinical deterioration in patients with right ventricular failure and pulmonary hypertension. It is important for emergency physicians to understand the pathophysiology of acute decompensated right ventricular failure in order to avoid common pitfalls in diagnosis and management that can result in significant morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: Cardiogenic shock; Massive pulmonary embolism; Pulmonary hypertension; Right ventricular failure.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Emergency Service, Hospital
Heart Failure* / complications
Heart Failure* / diagnosis
Heart Failure* / therapy
Humans
Hypertension, Pulmonary* / diagnosis
Hypertension, Pulmonary* / etiology
Hypertension, Pulmonary* / therapy
Pulmonary Embolism* / diagnosis
Ventricular Dysfunction, Right* / diagnosis
Ventricular Dysfunction, Right* / etiology
Ventricular Dysfunction, Right* / therapy