Did you know heart failure, the condition in which the heart is weakened and struggles to efficiently pump blood, can occur in the left, right, or both sides of your heart? In such instances, tissues across the body experience deprivation of vital oxygen and nutrients. We spoke to our expert, Dr MS Aditya, Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, who explained right and left heart failure and listed the treatment therapies.
“The circulatory system in the human body serves to supply nutrients and oxygen to tissues and drain metabolites and carbon dioxide. Both arterial and venous systems are connected to the heart, with the right heart handling the venous system”, said Dr Aditya.
Right Heart Function
The right side of the heart collects blood from the venous system, pumping it to the pulmonary artery for oxygenation in the lungs. Oxygenated blood returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins, entering the left atrium and proceeding through the left ventricle into the arterial system.
“The right heart refers to the right-sided part of the heart which is connected to the venous system (network of blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart). The blood is collected in the right atrium, from where it goes to the right ventricle and gets pumped to the pulmonary artery, which carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs”, said Dr Aditya.
This blood is oxygenated and travels back to the heart through the pulmonary veins, which are connected to the left atrium. From here, the blood goes to the left ventricle and is pumped into the arterial system through the aorta.
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Heart Failure Overview
“Failure of the heart to accomplish this circulatory need is referred to as heart failure. While in most cases, injury to the heart involves both the right and the left heart simultaneously. Sometimes it can occur in isolation”, added Dr Aditya.
The left ventricle, which is the most powerful chamber of the circulation, is vulnerable to injury from a variety of causes, such as ischaemia, resulting from blockage to blood vessels, injury of muscle due to toxin, alcohol, viral infections, etc.
What Is Right Heart Failure
Right heart failure is increasingly being detected these days due to better recognition and understanding of heart disease. Dr Aditya said, “The most common causes of failure are lung diseases and left ventricular dysfunction (back pressure effects from the pooling of blood in the lungs as the left heart is unable to keep up blood flow). Right heart failure presents with oedema over the body, abdominal distension and fatigue.”
What Is Left Heart Failure
On the other hand, left heart failure manifests as difficulty breathing during exertion and while lying down, along with reduced exercise capacity.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), In cases of left-sided or left-ventricular heart failure, the left side of the heart exerts greater effort to pump the same volume of blood. The heart's ability to pump blood with each contraction is quantified using a metric known as Ejection Fraction (EF). A healthy left ventricle typically ejects approximately 55-60% of its blood volume.
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Tailored Therapies
Identification of the pattern of failure helps to better tailor our therapies for heart failure. Dr Aditya listed some treatment therapies as follows:
- General CardioProtective measures like lifestyle changes, salt restriction and rehabilitation are the same for both right heart and left heart failure.
- Some therapies are more suitable for specific dysfunction since right heart health is linked to lung function, and drugs targeting pulmonary vessels and rehabilitation provide additional improvement.
- The left heart is connected to the arterial system, hence, better blood pressure control, physical exercise, and weight loss help to decrease symptoms of left heart failure.
Bottomline
Dr Aditya concluded, “Recognising heart failure symptoms and analysing contributing factors are vital for prompt corrective action. Early intervention and tailored therapies can improve outcomes for both right and left heart failure.”
[Disclaimer: This article contains information provided by an expert and is for informational purposes only. Hence, we advise you to consult your expert if you notice any heart issues for effective medical treatment.]