title: Diagnosing and treating the failing right heart.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Right ventricular failure (RVF) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There is an increasing interest in proper assessment of right ventricle (RV) function as well as understanding mechanisms behind RVF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within this article, we discuss the metabolic changes that occur in the RV in response to RVF, in particular, a shift toward glycolysis and increased glutaminolysis. We will detail the advances made in noninvasive imaging in assessing the function of the RV and review the methods to assess right ventricle-pulmonary artery coupling. We lastly investigate the role of new treatment options in the failing RV, such as β-blocker therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RVF is a complicated entity. Although some inferences on RV function and treatment can be made from our understanding of the left ventricle, the RV has unique features, anatomically, metabolically and embryologically, that require dedicated RV-directed research.
authors: aDivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah bDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland USA.
authors: John J
authors: JJ
authors: Ryan
authors: Ryan J
authors: RJ
authors: Tedford
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D004452:Echocardiography; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006019:Glycolysis; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011651:Pulmonary Artery; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D005973:Glutamine; D005947:Glucose