Why is a patient with emphyema likely to develop failure of the right side of the heart before developing left sided heart failure?
the right side is the smaller walled muscle as well as having
less workload component. however the right side is what pumps
deoxygenated blood to the lungs. emphysema causes myriad issues
with the vascular system in the lungs which produces backpressure
to the right side of the heart. ignoring significant other
involvement - the kidneys get impacted causing fluids to back up
into the right side of the heart - called congestive heart failure
(CHF). again this is a very simplified approach so a lay person may
better grasp the subject