What Is Cor Pulmonale?
Q:
What is cor pulmonale?
A:
Cor pulmonale is also known as pulmonary heart disease and right-sided heart failure. It refers to the enlargement and failure of the right ventricle, which is the complication of increased vascular resistance or high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries (pulmonary hypertension).
The disease causes the right ventricle to enlarge and prevents it from pumping blood efficiently. Over time, the right ventricle may finally fail. In this case, it is helpful to control the high pressure of blood that goes into the lungs to prevent pulmonary hypertension from happening. If not, it is quite likely for the patients to develop cor pulmonale and other life-threatening complications.
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