Biventricular failure occurs when both chambers of the heart fail to function properly, affecting the pumping of blood to the body. It involves dysfunction in both ventricles, which play a crucial role in circulating blood. Typically, damage to the left ventricle leads to inadequate blood pumping, causing increased fluid pressure that damages the right ventricle.
Chronic blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and heart attacks are major causes of left ventricular failure, while right ventricular failure can result from increased pressure or fluid volume, or decreased blood filling due to conditions like pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, lung diseases, congenital heart conditions, and cardiomyopathy. Symptoms of biventricular failure include shortness of breath, weakness, swelling in limbs, abnormal heartbeats, frequent coughing, increased nighttime urination, and nausea/vomiting.