Editing Heart failure (section)

===Biventricular failure===
Dullness of the lung fields when [[percussion (medicine)|percussed]] and reduced breath sounds at the base of the lungs may suggest the development of a [[pleural effusion]] (fluid collection [[pleural cavity|between the lung and the chest wall]]). Though it can occur in isolated left- or right-sided heart failure, it is more common in biventricular failure because pleural veins drain into both the systemic and pulmonary venous systems. When unilateral, effusions are often right-sided.<ref name="pmid26350935">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bhatnagar R, Maskell N | title = The modern diagnosis and management of pleural effusions | journal = BMJ | volume = 351 | issue =  | pages = h4520 | date = September 2015 | pmid = 26350935 | doi = 10.1136/bmj.h4520 | hdl = 1983/deeb861e-d752-4e4c-a8d7-f00cc22eddac | s2cid = 1883969 | url = https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/deeb861e-d752-4e4c-a8d7-f00cc22eddac | access-date = 13 February 2023 | archive-date = 9 August 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230809061730/https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/the-modern-diagnosis-and-management-of-pleural-effusions | url-status = live | hdl-access = free }}</ref>

If a person with a failure of one ventricle lives long enough, it will tend to progress to failure of both ventricles. For example, left ventricular failure allows pulmonary edema and pulmonary hypertension to occur, which increases stress on the right ventricle. Though still harmful, right ventricular failure is not as deleterious to the left side.<ref>{{Cite book | vauthors = Sayer G, Semigran MJ |title=Heart Failure |chapter=Acute and Chronic Right Ventricular Failure |date=2017-02-22 |pages=65–84 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4471-4219-5_4 |pmc=7122716|isbn=978-1-4471-4218-8 }}</ref>