Right-sided heart failure

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Heart, section through the middle Heart, front view

Overview Symptoms Treatment Prevention

Right-sided heart failure

• Shortness of breath
• Swelling of feet and ankles
• Urinating more frequently at night
• Pronounced neck veins
• Palpitations (sensation of feeling the heart beat)
• Irregular fast heartbeat
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Faintness

A variety of different situations may trigger an episode of heart failure, such as:

• Increased intake of fluids or salt
• Fever
• Infections
• Anemia
• Blockage in the coronary arteries
• Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
• Overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
• Kidney disease

Many hospital admissions related to heart failure are because the person did not follow a recommended low-salt diet or take heart failure medicines as prescribed.

Your health care provider will conduct a physical examination, which may reveal:

• Abnormal heart sounds
• Abnormal lung sounds
• Murmurs
• Irregular or rapid heartbeat
• Weight gain
• Distended neck veins
• Enlarged liver
• Ankle swelling

Heart failure patients may undergo some of the following common tests:

• An ECG may show signs of thickened heart muscle or enlarged heart chambers. The electric system of the heart and heart rhythm may not be normal.
• A chest x-ray may show enlargement of the heart and fluid accumulation in the lungs.
• An echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) and a Doppler study may show heart chambers enlargement, leaky valves, and poor pumping function.

The following routine lab tests may be performed:

• CBC
• Blood chemistry
• Liver function tests
• Urinalysis
• Thyroid function tests
• B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP)

Cardiac catheterization may be performed:

• Right heart catheterization: a catheter is inserted through a vein into the right side of the heart and the pressures there are measured.
• Sometimes, a dye injection in the right ventricle is necessary to help understand the problem (right ventriculography).
• The left ventricle and arteries may also need to be studied, with a coronary angiography and left ventriculography.

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