Nursing NUR201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary Circulation, Jugular Vein
13 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Left-sided heart failure happens when the left ventricle cannot shunt the blood forward that it received by the left atrium from the pulmonary circulation. Failure mostly occurs at the level of the mitral valve. When the mitral valve could not push the blood forward, it causes back pressure on the pulmonary circulation which results in pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension in pregnant women could precipitate a high-risk pregnancy for spontaneous miscarriage, preterm labor, or maternal death. The placenta may not receive adequate blood because of the decreased peripheral circulation. The woman would have difficulty in sleeping due to the worsening pulmonary edema. Advise the woman with left-sided heart failure to sleep with her chest and head elevated. Heart action is more effective at rest, so the interstitial fluid returns to the circulation and overburdens it, causing increased left-sided failure and pulmonary edema.
