title: Acute cor pulmonale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute cor pulmonale is a form of acute right heart failure produced by a sudden increase in resistance to blood flow in the pulmonary circulation, which is now rapidly recognized by bedside echocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the clinical setting, acute cor pulmonale is mainly observed as a complication of massive pulmonary embolism or acute respiratory distress syndrome. In acute respiratory distress syndrome, the worsening effect of mechanical ventilation has been recently emphasized.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As a general rule, the treatment consists in rapidly reducing resistance to blood flow in the pulmonary circulation, obtained by a specific strategy according to etiology.
authors.affiliation: Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital Ambroise Paré, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Boulogne, France. francois.jardin@apr.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jardin
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vieillard-Baron
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome