Positive pressure ventilation in congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a clinical syndrome in which systolic or diastolic cardiac dysfunction leads to activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone and sympathetic nervous systems, producing hypervolemia and vasoconstriction, followed by vascular congestion and edema. The most life threatening consequence of this fluid accumulation occurs in the setting of left-sided CHF, in which increased cardiac filling pressures lead to increased pulmonary capillary hydrostatic pressure and fluid extravasation into the pulmonary parenchyma, producing pulmonary edema.
Source: Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery - Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Respiratory Medicine Source Type: research