Management of acute and chronic RV dysfunction
Department of Internal Medicine II, Division of Cardiology, Vienna General Hospital, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Corresponding author. Tel: +43 1 40 400 4614; fax: +43 1 408 11 48. E-mail address: irene.lang{at}meduniwien.ac.at
The aim of this article was to outline contemporary treatments of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and failure. Despite the heterogeneity of disorders underlying RV failure, RV function is a main determinant of long-term prognosis. Therefore, the unique therapeutic goal is to preserve or ameliorate RV function. Although, in advanced stages of RV failure, there is a considerable overlap of pathophysiological mechanisms, the principle targets of treatment are RV contractility, RV pressure overload, and RV volume overload. Apart from surgical strategies such as pulmonary endarterectomy, lung transplantation, closure of shunt lesions, and interventional structural cardiology procedures such as closure of abnormal communications and defects, or graded blade balloon atrial septostomy, targeted pharmacological treatments have become available over the past years. In addition, global strategies such as exercise training, arrhythmia correction, and synchronization treatments may become a new standard of care in the near future.
Key Words: Right ventricular dysfunction Right ventricular failure