Fisiopatología del ventrículo derecho

Abstract

Right ventricle has traditionally been underemphasized considering the amount of information and investigation about the left ventricle, its pathologies and treatments. Old physiological concepts considered right ventricle as a secondary organ without significance in cardiovascular pathology. The scope of respiratory diseases usually deals with heart involvement or cor pulmonale secondary to pulmonary diseases. Nevertheless, the limited availability of cardiac techniques to evaluate right ventricle has restricted the information about its physiological behavior and diseases. In the last five years, a renewed interest in right ventricle provided significative changes in concepts, methods of evaluation and treatment. In this article, we will review recent physiological concepts about right ventricle, based in up-to-date publications on the mechanisms and pathologies in which it is involved. Right ventricle is different to left ventricle in origin, anatomy, function and recovery capacity. His impedance depends on the pulmonary circulation and its involvement in respiratory diseases. left ventricle preload depends on the right ventricle, emphasizing its importance in left heart failure.