Word parts
What it means
A condition in which the pulmonary arteries become narrow or stiff, so the right side of the heart must pump harder to push blood through the lungs. It can come from left-sided heart disease, lung diseases such as COPD, blood clots in the lungs, or no known cause. Over time the right ventricle can fail (right-sided heart failureRYTE-sy-did hart FAYL-yurHeart failure in which the right ventricle cannot pump enough blood forward into the lungs.Full entry ). It is measured with an echocardiogram or a catheter in the heart.
For the nurse
Watch for shortness of breath, tiredness, fainting, and swelling in the legs or abdomen. Some clients receive continuous IV drugs such as epoprostenol, which must never be stopped suddenly; ISMP lists IV epoprostenol as high-alert.
At a glance
| Spanish | hipertensión pulmonar |
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Related terms
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to move air out of the lungs.
pulmonary artery
The large blood vessel that carries blood low in oxygen from the right side of the heart to the lungs.
pulmonary circulation
The path blood takes from the heart to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen, and back to the heart.
right-sided heart failure
Heart failure in which the right ventricle cannot pump enough blood forward into the lungs.