enlargement of the right ventricle of the heart, resulting from disorders of the lungs (lung) or blood vessels of the lungs or from abnormalities of the chest wall. A person with cor pulmonale has a chronic cough, experiences difficulty in breathing after exertion, wheezes, and is weak and easily fatigued. Fluid may collect in the legs; pain may be felt in the right upper portion of the abdomen; digestive disturbances may be noted; the neck veins are distended; and the fingertips may be clubbed.

The most common cause of chronic cor pulmonale is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a term used to describe any condition in which airflow is obstructed, as in chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In chronic cor pulmonale the network of capillaries in the lungs (lung) is progressively destroyed, causing pressure in the pulmonary artery—the artery carrying blood from the right ventricle to the lungs—to be increased (pulmonary hypertension). The resultant back pressure on the right ventricle increases the work and the size of the chamber, leading to heart enlargement and eventually, if uncorrected, heart failure. Acute cor pulmonale may be produced by an embolism, such as a blood clot, in a pulmonary vessel.

Treatment of the acute form of the disease is often by removal of the pulmonary blockage. Treatment of chronic cor pulmonale includes the use of antibiotics to combat respiratory infection and the use of a respirator to ease the patient's breathing, the restriction of sodium intake, and administration of diuretics (diuretic) and cardiovascular drugs such as digitalis or calcium channel blockers.