My question is "JUGULAR VEIN Distention is Right-Sided Heart Failure???

MJ3lasvegas · Aug 14, 2009

yes, jugular vein distention is a s/s of RSHF, as well as ascites, oliguria, hepatosplenomegaly, weight gain, peripheral edema/periorbital edema.

i never did use the exam cram some members mention about in here but personally i would discourage using so many resources. try to focus on just one book and then if the concept isn't that clear to you, that's the time you do your research.

i'm a saunders fanatic..hahaha. always been..i used all saunders materials for my review: the comprehensive review book, the Q & A book and the flashcards. that way, i never got confused.

i wish you all the best for your test..

waterpaint · Aug 14, 2009

Which exam cram book do you have? I have the smaller one 2nd edition and your question doesn't match up with mine. Just wondering because I don't want to use a book that may potentially have errors as well.

According to my Saunders comprehensive book, JVD is a s/s of Right sided HF not Left.

joycee8 · Aug 15, 2009

Actually, i left the book in my country, i only have a copy of electronic book Exam-Prep 2nd Edition 2007 in my laptop, it can be found on page802#46 Rationale, Practice Exam on the txtbook not from the Practice questions of Exam-Cram.

Thanks MJ3lasvegas and waterpaint!

splintersurgeon · Aug 15, 2009

actually its true jvd alwya refer to r side heart failure but consider also that Rside can co-exist with Left heart failure . and either can lead also to both r and left heart failure. lesson is understand the question completely

joycee8 · Aug 15, 2009

Our school and our txtbooks used e.g. lippincott, etc.....also never said that jvd is one of the s/sx of RSHF????? only the exam cram? and i also found some contradicting like hypo and hyper....... i think not only me found this many errors, coz i've read also some nclex books shoppers with the same story.....

NurseKitten, MSN, RN · Aug 15, 2009

Right heart failure can be signified as JVD from the inability to effectively move the blood returned to the right ventricle to the pulmonary circulation.

It is very often seen as a result of left heart failure by the following process:

Left heart is unable to eject effectively from the left ventricle.

Causes backup into the left atrium.

Causes backup into the pulmonary vasculature - remember, systemic vascular resistance in pulmonary vasculature is 1/10th that of systemic.

So if you have backup into the pulmonary vasculature, this is where you see a lot of the pulmonary edema come into play - it just can't handle the extra fluid load.

If it's dealing with an extra fluid load from the left heart, where's everything going to go that's trying to come in??

It can't. So it backs up into the right side of the heart, the right ventricular wall hypertrophies, decreasing it's output ability.

Fluid backs up from the RV into the RA, and up through the SVC, and up into the jugular - also into the systemic venous circulation, hence the hepatospleenomegaly, edema, etc.

Remember, everything that's presented to the right side of the heart must eventually exit the left side of the heart. It must happen this way to maintain homeostasis.

If this is altered in any way, it's not an isolated event unto itself. There will be repercussions throughout the entire cardiopulmonary system.

joycee8 · Aug 15, 2009

Thanks nurse kitten for a well explained pathophysio, all i just remember is the RSHF has systemic symptoms and LSHF has lungs symptoms, so JVD is a RSHF sx. God Bless!