BACKGROUND Support with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) induces LV reverse structural and functional remodeling, evidenced by normalization of passive end-diastolic pressure-volume relationships (EDPVRs) and cardiomyocyte function. These changes are not evident in the right ventricle (RV), which remains dilated during LVAD support. However, studies on whether RV reverse remodeling could...

Isolated ventricular non-compaction is a rare type of cardiomyopathy resulting from arrested myocardial development during embryogenesis. This rare entity can be easily diagnosed by characteristic appearance of prominent myocardial trabeculations and deep inter-trabecular spaces. The clinical manifestations include heart failure signs, ventricular arrhythmias, and cardio-embolic events. Althoug...

1 of 2 DESCRIPTION A murmur was noted in a 2-year-old patient who was otherwise asymptomatic. The patient was born by caesarean section at 37 weeks gestation. No signifi cant family history was present. Clinical examination revealed a continuous murmur at the sternal edge. Echocardiography did not reveal any abnormality. Cardiac catheterisation revealed a communication between the right coronar...

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) causes pulmonary hypertension. It is often suggested that this increased afterload for the right ventricle (RV) might lead to cardiac dysfunction. To examine this, we studied biventricular function in an experimental model. RDS was induced by lung lavages in seven newborn lambs. Five additional lambs served as controls. Cardiac function was quantified by inde...

BACKGROUND Congenital heart diseases often involve chronic pressure overload of the right ventricle (RV) which is a major cause of RV dysfunction. Pulmonary artery (PA) banding has been used to produce animal models of RV dysfunction. We have devised a new and easier method of constricting the PA and compared it directly with the partial ligation method. METHODS Eight-week-old male Sprague-Da...

BACKGROUND Protective lung ventilation is recommended in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) to minimize additional injuries to the lung. However, hypercapnic acidosis resulting from ventilation at lower tidal volume enhances pulmonary hypertension and might induce right ventricular (RV) failure. We investigated if extracorporeal veno-venous CO2 removal therapy could have b...

BACKGROUND Noninvasive cardiac evaluation is of great importance in transgenic mice. Transthoracic echocardiography can visualize the left ventricle well but has not been as successful for the right ventricle (RV). We developed a method of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to evaluate murine RV size and function. METHODS AND RESULTS Normoxic and chronically hypoxic mice (F(IO2)=0.11, 3 w...

Aims Loss-of-function of the cardiac sodium channel NaV1.5 is a common feature of Brugada syndrome. Arrhythmias arise preferentially from the right ventricle (RV) despite equivalent NaV1.5 downregulation in the left ventricle (LV). The reasons for increased RV sensitivity to NaV1.5 loss-of-function mutations remain unclear. Because ventricular electrical activation occurs predominantly in the t...

This study introduced a combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and echocardiography methodology to simulate blood flow in the single right ventricle (SRV) and normal ventricles to study the intraventricular flow. Derived from echocardiographic image loops, CFD-based three-dimensional (3D) flow models of normal subject's left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) and SRV with and without ...

Abullet located in the interventricular septum is shown in frontal (A) and right lateral (B) chest radiography and in an echocardiogram (C; RA indicates right atrium; RV, right ventricle; LA, left atrium; and LV, left ventricle. Superior white arrow, labeled BULLET, shows the bullet located at the interventricular septum). It is from a 37-year-old policeman who was shot while on duty. The bulle...