Right-Sided Heart Failure
Death typically results from respiratory failure or right-sided heart failure.
Right-Sided Heart Failure
- Causes: Most commonly secondary to left heart failure; also cor pulmonale (severe pulmonary hypertension), primary pulmonic/tricuspid disease
- Cor pulmonale: RV hypertrophy + dilation due to pulmonary hypertension; isolated right-sided pathology
- Clinical features: Peripheral edema, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, ascites, pleural effusion — minimal respiratory symptoms in pure right-sided failure
- Liver: Congestive hepatomegaly; nutmeg liver (centrilobular congestion); cardiac cirrhosis in chronic severe cases
- Portal hypertension → congestive splenomegaly; bowel wall edema (impairs drug/nutrient absorption)
Read this in Heart Disease — Must Knows
Right-Sided Heart Failure
- Causes: Most commonly secondary to left heart failure; also cor pulmonale (severe pulmonary hypertension), primary pulmonic/tricuspid disease
- Cor pulmonale: RV hypertrophy + dilation due to pulmonary hypertension; isolated right-sided pathology
- Clinical features: Peripheral edema, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, ascites, pleural effusion — minimal respiratory symptoms in pure right-sided failure
- Liver: Congestive hepatomegaly; nutmeg liver (centrilobular congestion); cardiac cirrhosis in chronic severe cases
- Portal hypertension → congestive splenomegaly; bowel wall edema (impairs drug/nutrient absorption)
Read this in Heart Disease: Must Knows
Right-Sided Heart Failure
- Causes: Left-sided heart failure (most common cause), cor pulmonale (COPD, pulmonary hypertension), tricuspid/pulmonary valve disease, RV infarction
- Blood backs up into systemic venous circulation
- Hepatomegaly → cardiac cirrhosis ( nutmeg liver — centrilobular congestion)
- Peripheral edema (ankles, sacral)
Read this in CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY
What our notes say
- Death typically results from respiratory failure or right-sided heart failure. (Lung Pathology — Must-Know)
- A patient presents with symptoms of right-sided heart failure, including leg edema and ascites. (🫀 MISSING TOPICS — ULTRA DEEP NOTES)
- Secondary pulmonary hypertension can develop, leading to cor pulmonale (right-sided heart failure) in 20–30% of patients. (Lung Pathology — Must-Know)
- Left-sided heart failure primarily affects the lungs, causing dyspnea and pulmonary edema, while right-sided heart failure leads to systemic venous congestion, manifesting as peripheral edema and hepatosplenomegaly. (Heart Disease — Must Knows)
- Right-sided Heart Failure: Most commonly secondary to left heart failure or cor pulmonale; features include peripheral edema, hepatosplenomegaly, and ascites. (Heart Disease — Must Knows)
- Right-sided heart failure, frequently secondary to left-sided failure or pulmonary hypertension (cor pulmonale), manifests as systemic venous congestion, including peripheral edema and "nutmeg liver." (Heart Disease: Must Knows)
Study material on Right-Sided Heart Failure
Practice questions on Right-Sided Heart Failure
What is the most common cause of pure right sided heart failure?
- Left sided heart failure
- Cor Pulmonale
- Hypothyroidism
- Pneumonia
- Valvular heart disease ✅ Answer: B
Answer: A. Cor pulmonale, which is right ventricular hypertrophy and dilation due to pulmonary hypertension, is the most common cause of pure right-sided heart failure.