Cardiovascular-pulmonary interaction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with special reference to the pathogenesis and management of cor pulmonale.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which here refers to a group of diseases that have in common the physiologic defect of airway obstruction, is often associated with severe hemodynamic consequences. This article provides an overview of cardiovascular function in COPD with emphasis on recent advances in detecting, quantifying, and treating pulmonary hypertension and its major cardiac complication, cor pulmonale.