A nurse is caring for a client with the diagnosis of right ventricular failure. which condition unrelated to cardiac disease is the major cause of right ventricular failure?
The correct answer is "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)". In severe cases of COPD, there is diffuse pulmonary vasoconstriction leading to pulmonary hypertension. In the background of pulmonary hypertension, the right ventricle will have a difficulty overcoming the pressure of pulmonary vessels leading to the blood pooling in the systemic circulation (right-sided heart failure). This phenomenon is called cor pulmonale or pulmonary heart failure.
