Acute right ventricular failure secondary to acutely increased right ventricular afterload (acute cor pulmonale) is a life-threatening condition that may arise in different clinical settings. Patients at risk of developing or with manifest acute cor pulmonale usually present with an acute pulmonary disease (e.g. pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome) and are managed initially in emergency departments and later in intensive care units. According to the clinical setting, other specialties are involved (cardiology, pneumology, internal medicine). As such, coordinated delivery of care is particularly challenging but, as shown during the COVID-19 pandemic, has a major impact on prognosis. A common framework for the management of acute cor pulmonale with inclusion of the perspectives of all involved disciplines is urgently needed.
Keywords: Cor pulmonale; ARDS; Acute heart failure; Cardiogenic shock; Increased afterload; Pulmonary embolism; Pulmonary hypertension; Right heart failure; Right ventricular failure.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.