Right ventricular performance in essential hypertension.

Effects of systemic hypertension on right ventricular (RV) performance have not been previously investigated. In this study, 10 normal patients were compared to 20 patients with uncomplicated, asymptomatic essential hypertension (defined as cuff diastolic blood pressure 2 100 mm Hg) after a complete hemodynamic and RV cineangiographic evaluation. The mean intra-arterial pressure in the normal group was 93 ± 11 vs 120 ± 13 mm Hg in the essential hypertension group (p < 0.01). All right-sided pressures were substantially higher in the hypertensive than in the normal patients (mean right atrial pressure: 2 ± 1 mm Hg for normals, 5 ± 3 mm Hg for hypertensives,p < 0.01; RV end-diastolic pressure: 3 ± 2 mm Hg for normals, 5 ± 2 mm Hg for hypertensives, p < 0.05; mean pulmonary artery pressure: 12 ± 3 mm Hg for normals, 17 ± 5