Intensive Care Network Podcasts

The right ventricle (RV) is not important, until it is.  Under normal conditions RV function merely keeps central venous pressure low and delivers all the venous return per beat into the pulmonary circulation under low pressure. If pulmonary artery pressures increase due to pulmonary vascular disease (embolism, ARDS, COPD), over-distention (COPD, asthma) or ischemia (embolism, pulmonary hypertension), the RV rapidly dilates decreasing left ventricular (LV) diastolic compliance via ventricular interdependence. Most clinicians presume that the RV is merely a weaker version of the LV, but follows that same rules. But this in not true. Normally, RV filling occurs without any measurable change in RV distending pressure owing to conformational changes in its shape rather than distention of its wall fibers. This effect allows central venous pressure to remain low despite major dynamic change sin venous return associated with breathing. RV ejection is exquisitely dependent of RV ejection pressure. Thus, if disease pr