Which of the following pairs are incorrectly matched?

Low-output failure - Decreased venous return
Systolic dysfunction - Difficulty contracting and pumping effectively
High-output failure - Elevated demands on the heart
Diastolic dysfunction - Difficulty ejecting blood

1 answer

To identify the incorrectly matched pairs, let's evaluate each term:

  1. Low-output failure - Decreased venous return: This is incorrectly matched. Low-output heart failure generally refers to a situation where the heart is unable to pump an adequate amount of blood to meet the body's needs. This can occur with decreased venous return, but low-output failure can also occur with normal or increased venous return if the heart's pumping ability is impaired.

  2. Systolic dysfunction - Difficulty contracting and pumping effectively: This is correctly matched. Systolic dysfunction involves impaired myocardial contractility, leading to difficulties in pumping blood effectively.

  3. High-output failure - Elevated demands on the heart: This is correctly matched. High-output heart failure occurs when the heart pumps an adequate or increased amount of blood, but due to elevated metabolic demands (as seen in conditions like hyperthyroidism or anemia), the heart ultimately can't meet the body's needs.

  4. Diastolic dysfunction - Difficulty ejecting blood: This is incorrectly matched. Diastolic dysfunction refers to the heart's inability to properly fill with blood during diastole. In this case, the heart can still eject blood effectively during systole, but it struggles with filling during diastole.

Based on this analysis, the incorrectly matched pairs are:

  • Low-output failure - Decreased venous return
  • Diastolic dysfunction - Difficulty ejecting blood

So your final answer for which pairs are incorrectly matched are the first and last pairs.