Question

Explain the pathophysiology between left and right sided heart failure.

Answer 1

The heart failure on both the right and the left side can differ from one another. The left side of the heart is responsible for bringing oxygen rich blood from the lungs to the left ventricle via the left atrium and then it is pumped into your body. If the left side of the heart is not able to pump blood properly, it has to work harder for sending blood through the body. This double work by the heart causes the fluid to build up in higher concentration, majorly in the lungs causing heart failure. It can be either a systolic or diastolic heart failure when the left side of the heart fails to work.

In case of the right side of the heart and its weakness directly depends on the left side of the heart. The right side of the heart is responsible for circulating the blood from the body and the blood is sent for oxygen to the lungs. As the left side of the heart weakens, it is the right side which has to double its work and compensate for the malfunctioning of the other. This makes the right side work harder leading to losing of muscle strength and the body is backed with blood and fluid. This leads to swelling in the body.