scholarly journals Pulmonary Hypertension

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Brendan P Madden ◽  

Pulmonary hypertension is said to occur when the mean pulmonary arterial pressure exceeds 25 mmHg at rest or 30 mmHg during exercise. There are many causes but the term Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is used to describe a rare group of illnesses that share histopathological similarities in the small muscularised pulmonary arterioles leading to vascular remodelling (plexogenic pulmonary arteriopathy) and progressive elevation in the pulmonary vascular resistance. Left untreated, patients die as a consequence of right heart failure and the mortality approaches that of commonly encountered malignancies. There is no effective cure. Most treatment for PAH patients has focused on the endothelial cell vascular dysfunction known to occur in these disorders and indeed agents such as endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase pathway V inhibitors and prostacyclin analogues have been shown to improve morbidity and delay rate of deterioration. More recently evidence has emerged that they may have a positive impact on survival. These agents have also been applied to treat patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and selected patients with CTEPH may also benefit from pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. For a small number of patients with PAH lung transplantation may be considered

Circulation ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nika Skoro-Sajer ◽  
Nicklas Hack ◽  
Roela Sadushi ◽  
Johannes Jakowitsch ◽  
Diana Bonderman ◽  
...  

Hemodynamic responder status defined as an acute decrease of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP)>10mmHg and below 40mmHg is associated with improved outcome in patients (pts) with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Pulmonary vascular reactivity to nitric oxide (NO) is controversial in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). We speculated that the magnitude of the acute decrease in mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) after exposure to NO might reflect the degree of small vessel disease in CTEPH and thus, affect long-term outcome. Methods: Right heart catheterization was performed in 62 (55  ± 15 years, 32 female) pts with major-vessel CTEPH, at baseline and during inhalation of 40ppm NO. Within 25±15 days patients underwent pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). Pts were followed for 11.3±26 months. Predictors of survival were analyzed by Cox regression analysis, and survival was described by Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: Significant reductions in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP; p<0.001), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR; p<0.001) and an increase in mixed venous oxygen saturation following NO inhalation were demonstrated (p<0.001) by a paired t-test. Stepwise multivariate analysis revealed the relative change of PVR after NO inhalation as a predictor of survival. Patients whose PVR during NO inhalation declined below 789.8 dynes.s.cm-5 had significantly better outcome than patients with above median PVR. There was a strong negative correlation between the relative change of PVR under NO and recurrent pulmonary hypertension after PEA (p=0.02). Conclusions: Patients with operable CTEPH demonstrated acute pulmonary vascular reactivity, mostly not corresponding to a complete responder status, but accounting for a wide range of decreases of mPAP [change of mPAP (%) (−10.9±14)] and PVR [change of PVR (%) (−17 ±15)]. Reduction of PVR under 800 dynes.s.cm-5 after inhalation of NO was associated with better outcome. Responsiveness to inhaled nitric oxide is a predictor for mid-term survival in adult patients with CTEPH undergoing PEA.


1998 ◽  
Vol 80 (08) ◽  
pp. 231-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ignatescu ◽  
G. Zorn ◽  
M. Kneussl ◽  
G. Maurer ◽  
I. M. Lang ◽  
...  

SummaryChronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a disease resulting from the thromboembolic obstruction of the segmental and/or large size pulmonary arteries, subsequently leading to pulmonary arterial hypertension. Incomplete resolution of acute pulmonary emboli and thrombus organization are believed to be important for the development of the disease. Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a further disease that at present is poorly understood but shows a clinical picture similar to CTEPH. Since lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], a genetically determined risk factor for atherosclerosis and thrombosis, has been found increased in plasma of patients with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, we measured plasma Lp(a) levels in 40 patients with CTEPH and 50 patients with PPH and compared them to 50 matched controls. The median for Lp(a) plasma levels was significantly higher in CTEPH patients (26.6 mg/dl) than in PPH patients (9.6 mg/dl) and controls (7.2 mg/dl). Increased plasma Lp(a) could, therefore, play a significant role in the mechanisms of ongoing thrombosis and thrombus organization in CTEPH, while its possible role in PPH can be limited to a small number of patients.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. CCRPM.S696
Author(s):  
Carmelle V. Remillard ◽  
Jason X.-J. Yuan

Demographic and hemodynamic data from patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) have not been systematically characterized to identify differences related to gender, age, race, disease severity, and drug response. Our goal was to define the distribution and relation of IPAH and CTEPH based on these criteria. Hemodynamic and demographic data from 242 IPAH patients and 90 CTEPH patients were collected and compared. IPAH incidence was greater in women, but men had a higher basal mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP). mPAP was comparable among all IPAH ethnic groups. IPAH patients with no history of fenfluramine-phentermine use had a higher mPAP than users. Exercise-induced IPAH was apparent in 14.5% of IPAH patients. Only 9% of IPAH patients responded to inhaled nitric oxide with a ≥20% decrease in mPAP. Compared to CTEPH patients, mPAP was greater but average age of diagnosis was lower in IPAH patients. mPAP negatively correlated with age of diagnosis in IPAH patients only. These results indicate that elevated CO is not the main determinant of mPAP in both IPAH and CTEPH patients. However, the two patient groups differ in terms of their demographic and hemodynamic distributions, and according to the correlation between mPAP and other clinical hemodynamics and demographics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 204589401989749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbro Kjellström ◽  
Henrik Ryftenius ◽  
Lise-Lotte Landenfelt-Gestre ◽  
Bodil Ivarsson

Pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension are rare conditions that require complex interventions by multidisciplinary teams. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/the European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2015 guidelines included recommendations for pulmonary hypertension (PH) referral centers including minimum number of patients, staff, facilities, and network. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the PH-specialist centers in the Nordic countries are presently organized. A descriptive, questionnaire was sent to all PH-specialist centers in the Nordic countries in 2018. Sixteen of 20 PH-specialist centers completed the questionnaire. Seven centers (43%) followed less than 50 patients and three centers (19%) followed 125 patients or more. All had a physician or nurse attending or available at the clinic and eight had support staff such as physiotherapists, counsellors, dieticians, or psychologists directly connected to the center. Twelve centers were available by telephone five days or more per week. Nine centers offered a nurse-led outpatient clinic and of those, six had nurses delegated to make protocol-led changes in pulmonary arterial hypertension-specific treatment. Half of the centers had cooperation with a patient organization. All centers except one used international guidelines to guide care and treatment. More than half of the Nordic PH-specialist centers adhered to the ESC/ERS 2015 guidelines recommendations for volumes and staff in 2018, but there is potential for improvement. However, when formulating recommendations of patient volumes in guidelines, the situation for the geographical large but sparsely populated Nordic countries needs to be considered.


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (136) ◽  
pp. 246-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Lang

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a distinct subtype of pulmonary hypertension (PH). One disease hypothesis is that CTEPH results from the non-resolution of venous thromboembolism. CTEPH is characterised by the presence of obstructive fibrotic thromboembolic material in the major pulmonary vessels, with concomitant microvascular arteriopathy, resulting in progressive PH. The clinical presentation of CTEPH is similar to pulmonary arterial hypertension with nonspecific symptoms, but it is distinguished from pulmonary arterial hypertension by the presence of mismatched segmental defects on the ventilation/perfusion scan. The exact prevalence and incidence of CTEPH are unknown, but are thought to have been underestimated in the past. CTEPH is unique among the subgroups of PH in that it is potentially curable with pulmonary endarterectomy, a surgical intervention intended to remove the occlusive material from the pulmonary vasculature. However, in some patients the obstructions are technically inaccessible or the risk/benefit ratios are unfavourable, making the condition inoperable. It is thought that the involvement of the smaller, more distal vessels is a target for medical treatment. Untreated, CTEPH may result in right heart failure and death. The pathophysiological mechanisms which cause CTEPH are complex and have not yet been fully elucidated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (9) ◽  
pp. 77-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
I E Chazova ◽  
Z S Valieva ◽  
S N Nakonechnikov ◽  
I N Taran ◽  
T V Martynyuk

Aim: to perform the complex analysis of clinical, functional, hemodynamics profile in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) compared to the idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) group at the time of diagnosis verification according to the Russian registry, and to evaluate the features of medical therapy and it’s influence on prognosis in these patients. Materials and methods. In the retrospective study 193 patients with IPAH and 130 patients with inoperable CTEPH older than 18 years were included. All included patients were the participants of Russian registry (www.medibase.pro) in 15 Russian expert centers during the period from 01.01.2012 to 31.12.2018 year. The diagnosis was verified according to the algorithm, reflected in the Russian guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of PH and CTEPH (2016 year). The comparison analysis of clinical, functional, hemodynamics parameters in patients with IPAH and inoperable CTEPH was made. Results. The status of 193 patients with IPAH (32 male and 162 female) and 130 patients with inoperable CTEPH - (40 male and 90 female) was analyzed during the study. The CTEPH patients were older compared to the IPAH patients: 52.2 [41.1; 60.6] and 36.5 [26.8; 36.5] years, respectively. The median period since symptom occurrence till CTEPH verification was 1.08 [0.2; 3.1] years, in IPAH patients - 2.01 [0.6; 4.2] years. More than 80% of inoperable CTEPH patients had III and IV functional class (FC) according to the World Health Organization classification at the time of diagnosis verification versus 61% of IPAH patients. According to echocardiography the level of mean pulmonary arterial pressure was comparable in two groups of PH patients. However in inoperable CTEPH patients the right atrial area was larger. The significantly higher value of mean pulmonary arterial pressure and lower value oxygen saturation of arterial blood according to the right heart catheterization were revealed. The 5-year survival in CTEPH patients, receiving initial dual combination therapy in 75% cases (in 40% - combination of riociguat and iloprost ) was 93% versus 86.5% in patients with IPAH. Conclusion: It was revealed, that inoperable CTEPH patients were significantly older with severe functional and hemodynamics status at the time of diagnosis verification, although with higher level of 5-year survival compared to the IPAH patients according to the Russian registry.


2020 ◽  
pp. 089719002096129
Author(s):  
Marianne Kenny ◽  
Megan M. Clarke ◽  
Kristen T. Pogue

Pulmonary hypertension (PH), which includes pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), is a progressive condition with significant morbidity and mortality due to right heart failure if left untreated. Riociguat is a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator and is the only treatment approved for both PAH and CTEPH. The objectives of this review are to describe the epidemiology and pathophysiology of PAH and CTEPH; synthesize the pharmacology, efficacy, safety, and utilization of riociguat; and discuss the role of the pharmacist in managing patients with these conditions. Data presented in this review is supported by peer reviewed literature, using PubMed and key words including pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary arterial hypertension, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and riociguat. The review draws on key studies and review articles that discuss the pathophysiology of PAH and CTEPH, as well as articles discussing the safety and efficacy of riociguat. The overall goal in the treatment of PAH and CTEPH is to improve long-term survival. Treatment planning depends on the type of PH, treatment goals, comorbidities, and risk profiles. Pharmacists serve a valuable role as part of the multidisciplinary team in the care of patients with PH, many of whom may have comorbidities that contribute to high costs and resource utilization. Riociguat is a first-in-class medication and the only approved treatment for both PAH and CTEPH. In clinical trials, riociguat has demonstrated favorable efficacy and tolerability. Riociguat is a valuable addition to the armamentarium of options for treating patients with PH.


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