VDM Ciarka, A: Heart failure and sympathetic nervous system

The autonomic nervous system acts independently from our will and controls the functioning of different organs within our body. It consists of a parasympathetic and a sympathetic part. The latter is activated in fight or flight situations and causes an increase in blood pressure and heart rate together with vasoconstriction of the peripheral vessels. The sympathetic nervous system is controlled by reflexes, which are triggered by baro- and chemoreceptors. Dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system has been documented in a number of cardiovascular disorders and has been largely studied in relation to left heart failure, in which case it is related to an abnormal functioning of the chemo- and baroreceptors. This book gives insight into sympathetic activation in the context of different models of heart failure: isolated right heart failure, represented by patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, and a model based upon heart transplantation. The reader will find a description of in vivo studies of the sympathetic nervous system of these two patient populations as well as a general description of the structure and functioning of the sympathetic system.