When compared to the right side of the heart, the left side has more pressure. This is so that oxygen-rich blood can be pumped to every part of the body from the left side of the heart while oxygen-poor blood may be sent to the lungs for oxygenation from the right side of the heart.
The left ventricle produces high pressure to pump blood into the aorta, the biggest artery in the body, which subsequently distributes the oxygen-rich blood throughout the entire body, during systole, or the contraction phase of the cardiac cycle. In contrast, the right ventricle produces less pressure to pump blood into the pulmonary artery, which transports anemia-inducing blood to the lungs for oxygenation.
Overall, the myocardium (heart muscle) on the left side of the heart is thicker than on the right side, which helps it produce more pressure to pump blood throughout the body.
Since it must provide more pressure to overcome the resistance of the systemic circulation and deliver oxygen-rich blood to the body’s tissues, the left side of the heart has a thicker myocardium. Compared to the right ventricle, which is more crescent-shaped and smaller and has a more circular form, the left ventricle is bigger.
Due to the fact that the left side of the heart receives blood from the pulmonary veins, which carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart, as opposed to the right side, which receives blood from the systemic veins, which carry deoxygenated blood from the body’s tissues to the heart, the left side of the heart has a higher blood pressure.
The pressure in the left side of the heart is measured by a test called a left ventricular pressure measurement. This test is performed by inserting a catheter into the left ventricle through a blood vessel in the groin or arm. The catheter is equipped with a pressure sensor that can measure the pressure inside the heart as it contracts and relaxes. This test is commonly used in the diagnosis and management of various heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, and valvular heart disease.
