Evaluation of Pulmonary Artery Pressure Measurements in Severe Pulmonic Valve Insufficiency in the Absence of Tricuspid Regurgitation

OBJECTIVE: To compare hemodynamic measurements made before turning and at 5 and 30 minutes after turning, and to determine whether the stabilization period affects the difference between supine and side-lying pulmonary artery pressures. METHODS: This study was performed in the cardiothoracic surgical intensive care unit of a midwestern university hospital. The 31 postoperative open-heart surgical patients, 26 men and 5 women aged 41 to 76 years (64 +/- 9.3, mean +/- SD) with pulmonary artery catheters in place, were divided into two groups to compare supine to side-lying pressures and the time intervals between the position changes. The supine-first subjects (Group A) were placed in the supine position for baseline measurements and turned to either the right or left side-lying position for the 5- and 30-minute pulmonary artery pressure measurements. The side-first subjects (Group B) were placed in either the right or left side-lying position for baseline measurements and then in the supine position for the 5- and 30-minute pulmonary artery pressure measurements. RESULTS: Pulmonary artery pressures, heart rate and arterial pressure were not significantly different at 5 and 30 minutes. Supine pulmonary artery pressures in Group A were not significantly different from supine pressures in Group B. Side-lying pulmonary artery pressures in Group A were not significantly different from side-lying pressures in Group B. Side-lying vs supine pulmonary artery pressures were significantly different in both Group A and Group B. CONCLUSION: The current practice of turning and settling the patient, zeroing the transducer and proceeding to make the pulmonary artery pressure readings appears to be valid. The stabilization period after turning does not explain the differences found between side-lying and supine pulmonary artery pressures.

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P1529 Impact of the new PH guidelines on echocardiographic definition leading to double demand of right heart catheterization

European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging ◽

10.1093/ehjci/jez319.951 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

C Fauvel ◽

O Raitiere ◽

J Burdeau ◽

N Si Belkacem ◽

F Bauer

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Artery ◽

Pulmonary Artery Pressure ◽

Tricuspid Regurgitation ◽

Peak Velocity ◽

Right Heart Catheterization ◽

Heart Catheterization ◽

Right Heart ◽

Artery Pressure ◽

Mean Pulmonary Artery Pressure ◽

Definition Of

Abstract Background Doppler echocardiography is the most widespread and well-recognized technique for the screening of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). When tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity (TRPV) ≥3.4 m/s, right heart catheterization is requested to confirm mean pulmonary artery pressure >25 mm Hg. In the proceedings from the 6th world symposium on pulmonary arterial hypertension recently released, the new definition of PH has been lowered to mean pulmonary artery pressure > 20 mm Hg. Purpose The purpose of our work was twofold : i) to determine a new cut-off value for TRPV to accommodate the new hemodynamic definition of PH, ii) to investigate the impact on the demand of right heart catheterization (RHC) from our echo CORE lab. Methods We extracted and analyzed both the haemodynamic and echocardiographic records of 130 patients who underwent investigations the same day. Tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity was measured in apical-4 chamber view using continuous-wave doppler modality and compared to mean pulmonary artery pressure recorded from fluid-filled catheter. Results Tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity has a weak correlation with mean pulmonary pressure (y = 9.2x-2.2, r² = 0.22, p < 0.01). Targeting a mean pulmonary pressure on right heart catheterization of 20 mm Hg for the definition of PH, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated a good association between TRPV and PH diagnosis (area under the curve, 0.78 ; p < 0.001). The cut-off value obtained for TRPV was 3.0 m/s (Se = 0.78, Sp = 0.37). From 01/01/18 to 31/12/18, 2539 out of 6215 had TRPV recorded from which 283 had TRPV ≥ 3.0 m/s (24,1%) and 615 had TRPV ≥ 3.4 m/s (11,1%). When applied to a community population the new TRPV cutoff > 3m/s used as surrogate for mean pulmonary artery pressure > 20 mm Hg may produce a 111% increase of right heart catheterization demand. Conclusions The new definition of pulmonary hypertension (invasive mean pulmonary artery pressure > 20mm Hg) necessitates revisiting tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity > 3 m/s as a screening test leading to more than twice RHC demand.

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