The right ventricle and critical illness: a review of anatomy, physiology, and clinical evaluation of its function.

This paper reviews right ventricular anatomy and physiology in the critically ill patient. The role of right ventricular function during acute pulmonary artery hypertension and the effect of acute myocardial injury upon right ventricular performance are examined. Clinical methods of assessing right ventricular function at the bedside in acutely ill patients are critically reviewed.