Right Versus Left Ventricular Failure

V entricular failure manifests in many forms, its underlying physiology ranging from overt left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction to isolated right ventricular (RV) diastolic dysfunction, and the wide portfolio of resulting symptoms vary from chronic fluid retention to acute multiorgan dysfunction and death. In this review, we discuss the morphological, functional, and molecular similarities and differences in RV and LV responses to adverse loading and failure. We further discuss whether LV and RV function and failure can truly be discussed as separate entities and thereby examine interactions between the ventricles that on one hand contribute to ventricular dysfunction but on the other may be harnessed for therapeutic benefit.