left-side heart failure is characterized by what? Solution Left-sided Heart failure: Left-sided heart failure is most often caused by Left heart failure is characterized by variable degrees of decreased cardiac output and tissue perfusion, as well as pooling of blood in the venous capacitance system, which causes pulmonary edema. Pulmonary congestion and edema produce heavy, wet lungs. Left ventricle is usually hypertrophied and dilated. Impaired left ventricular function causes secondary dilation of left atrium. This increases the risk of atrial fibrillation. This results in stasis of blood. Pulmonary changes include: Some red cells and plasma proteins migrate into the edema fluid within the alveolar spaces, where they are phagocytosed and digested by macrophages. They store the iron recovered from hemoglobin in the form of hemosiderin. These hemosiderin-laden macrophages are known as heart failure cells. These are the signs of previous episodes of pulmonary edema..