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Pulmonary Hypertension

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Cardiovascular Hemodynamics

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

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Abstract

This chapter explores the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and evaluation of patients with suspected pulmonary hypertension (PH). Right heart catheterization remains the gold standard for diagnosing PH. Accurate assessment of hemodynamics, in particular the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, is critical to accurately make the diagnosis and to differentiate pre- from postcapillary forms of PH. All patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) should also undergo pulmonary vasoreactivity testing on initial catheterization, most commonly performed with inhaled nitric oxide. It is also reasonable to perform a full oxygen saturation run in this population to rule out congenital heart disease as an etiology of PAH. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion on advanced therapies for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and several illustrative case examples.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Values given in Wu may be multiplied by 80 to convert to dynes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA

    Jordan D. Awerbach & Richard A. Krasuski

Authors
  1. Jordan D. Awerbach
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  2. Richard A. Krasuski
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Correspondence to Richard A. Krasuski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Premier Health Advocates, Beachwood, OH, USA

    Arman T. Askari

  2. Gill Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Kentucky HealthCare, Lexington, KY, USA

    Adrian W. Messerli

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Awerbach, J.D., Krasuski, R.A. (2019). Pulmonary Hypertension. In: Askari, A., Messerli, A. (eds) Cardiovascular Hemodynamics. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19131-3_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19131-3_18

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-19130-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-19131-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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