Right ventricular function refers to the efficiency and effectiveness of the right ventricle, one of the four chambers of the heart, in pumping and circulating blood. It is an essential component of the overall cardiac function, which ensures optimal blood flow throughout the body. The right ventricle receives deoxygenated blood from the body's tissues and pumps it to the pulmonary artery, which transports the blood to the lungs for oxygenation.
The right ventricle's main role is to maintain a sufficient pressure to overcome resistance in the pulmonary circulation and facilitate the proper flow of blood. It achieves this by contracting and relaxing rhythmically, propelling blood forward into the pulmonary artery. An efficient right ventricular function is characterized by its ability to maintain an appropriate stroke volume, which is the amount of blood pumped out with each heartbeat, and to generate an adequate pressure gradient.
Several factors can impact right ventricular function, including pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular wall thickness, and myocardial contractility. Disease conditions such as pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism, or right ventricular myocardial infarction can negatively affect right ventricular function, leading to reduced cardiac output and potentially causing symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, and fluid retention.
Evaluation of right ventricular function is often performed through echocardiography or other imaging techniques, which can measure several parameters including right ventricular ejection fraction, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and pulmonary artery pressure. These measurements provide valuable information about the right ventricle's performance and assist in diagnosing and managing cardiac conditions affecting its function.
