Right Ventricular Failure and Cor Pulmonale

Abstract Right ventricular failure is a clinical syndrome that is often challenging to diagnose and treat. It should not be considered a freestanding diagnosis but instead should lead to a search for an underlying disease. Right ventricular failure most often occurs secondary to pulmonary hypertension or left heart failure when it is often a harbinger of a poor prognosis. Cor pulmonale is disease of the right side of the heart which initially presents as structural and morphological changes in the right ventricle (right ventricular hypertrophy and or right ventricular dilatation) which may progress further over time to clinical right ventricular failure. This chapter reviews diagnosis and management of these related conditions.