What role does the right side of the heart play in circulation?

Table 1 Haemodynamic and arterial pressure responses to volume challenge and dobutamine

Parameter	Baseline	Response to volume challenge	Response to dobutamine (5 μg/kg per min)
MAP	83	80	74
RAP	12	16	13
MPAP	18	28	16
PAWP	12	12	11
CI	1.8	1.9	1.8
RVEF	33	25	38
RVEDVI	145	190	163
SvO₂	54	52	60
Lactate	3.1	3.5	3.2

These measurements are from a 67-year-old critically ill postoperative patient. See text for further details. CI, cardiac index; MAP, mean arterial pressure; MPAP, mean pulmonary arterial pressure; PAWP, pulmonary artery wedge pressure; RAP, right atrial pressure; RVEDVI, right ventricular end-diastolic volume index; RVEF, right ventricular ejection fraction; SvO₂, mixed venous oxygen saturation.