Evaluation and Management of Pulmonary Hypertension in Noncardiac Surgery: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

pvod pulmonary hypertension :: Article Creator

Pulmonary Hypertension Often Goes Undiagnosed Until It's Too Late

Pulmonary hypertension easily is mistaken for other respiratory diseases, so an early diagnosis can be life-saving.

There are around 200,000 hospitalizations each year involving this disease, and the condition also is responsible for around 15,000 fatalities annually.

Pulmonary hypertension is a serious disease that can become progressively worse, even fatal, if not properly treated.

"Pulmonary hypertension is a condition that is caused due to elevated blood pressure in the lungs," said Corpus Christi Heart Clinic interventional cardiologist Dr. Christel Cuevas. "It's estimated about 200,000 cases annually occur in the United States."

Doctors want to raise awareness among those at-risk of developing pulmonary hypertension and who might not be aware of the symptoms or the options for treating the disease.

"Patients at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension can be those who have established lung disease or heart disease," said Cuevas. "Patients can present with a number of symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, lightheadedness, and sometimes passing out spells."

Pulmonary hypertension is often under-diagnosed, and getting people correctly diagnosed is one of the reasons the Corpus Christi Heart Clinic has started the first pulmonary hypertension clinic in Corpus Christi. This also means people with this condition don't have to travel to San Antonio, Houston, or Austin for treatments.

"This is hugely valuable for our community," said Corpus Christi Heart Clinic interventional cardiologist Dr. Thomas Alexander. "Patients who have this diagnosis can't travel long distances, plus they don't have to travel for just medication changes."

After you're diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, doctors at the Corpus Christi Heart Clinic will work with you to develop an appropriate treatment plan for your condition.

"So for someone who has pulmonary hypertension, they will get the echocardiogram here, the six-minute walk test here, will see a pulmonologist here," Alexander said. "If needed, a cardiologist will be able to consult immediately."

For more information: (361) 883-3962https://corpuschristiheartclinic.Com

Pulmonary hypertension is increased blood pressure in the blood vessels that collects oxygen from the lungs. It is a serious, degenerative condition, and it can lead to heart failure and death.

General high-blood pressure can often be prevented through lifestyle changes, but pulmonary hypertension often has genetic factors.

Pulmonary hypertension is a type of high-blood pressure that affects the arteries in your lungs and the right side of your heart.

In one form of pulmonary hypertension, tiny arteries in your lungs, called pulmonary arterioles, and capillaries become narrowed, blocked or destroyed.

This makes it harder for blood to flow through your lungs, and raises pressure within your lungs' arteries.

As the pressure builds, your heart's lower-right chamber (right ventricle) must work harder to pump blood through your lungs, eventually causing your heart muscle to weaken and fail.

Some forms of pulmonary hypertension are serious conditions that become progressively worse and are sometimes fatal. Although some forms of pulmonary hypertension aren't curable, treatment can help lessen symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Symptoms: The signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension in its early stages might not be noticeable for months or even years. As the disease progresses, symptoms become worse.

Pulmonary hypertension symptoms include:• Shortness of breath (dyspnea), initially while exercising and eventually while at rest

• Fatigue

• Dizziness or fainting spells (syncope)

• Chest pressure or pain

• Swelling (edema) in your ankles, legs and eventually in your abdomen (ascites)

• Bluish color to your lips and skin (cyanosis)

• Racing pulse or heart palpitations

Risk Factors:Your risk of developing pulmonary hypertension may be greater if:

• You're a young adult, as idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is more common in younger adults

• You're overweight

• You have a family history of the disease

• You have one of various conditions that can increase your risk of developing pulmonary hypertension

• You use illegal drugs, such as cocaine

• You take certain appetite-suppressant medications

• You have an existing risk of developing pulmonary hypertension, such as a family history of the condition, and you live at a high altitude

Causes:The thickening of the blood vessel walls in the lung causes pulmonary hypertension.

This narrows the space within the vessel that blood can travel through, increasing the pressure.

A complex set of factor leads to the thickening of blood vessels in the lungs during pulmonary hypertension.

Known causes include:

• problems with connective tissue, such as sclerosis

• congenital heart defects, which means the defect was present at birth

• inherited genetic causes, such as a BMPR2 gene mutation

• use of drugs or other toxins

• HIV infection

• pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, sometimes associated with cancer or cancer treatment

• left heart disease, such as heart valve disease

• lung disease, for example, COPD and chronic high-altitude exposure

• chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, which occurs after a blood clot has reached the lung

A range of conditions are linked to pulmonary hypertension, and the disorder can occur alongside different types of heart or lung disease. As a result, the cause of the condition can often be unknown or difficult to confirm.

Treatment: Pulmonary hypertension can't be cured, but doctors can help you manage your condition. Treatment may help improve your symptoms and slow the progress of pulmonary hypertension.

14-year-old Girl Hopeful For Lung Transplant To Keep Singing

Life has changed for the family of a 14-year-old girl from Soldier, Iowa, in just a matter of weeks. They're now hoping Katie Hoskins gets a much-needed lung transplant, so she can enjoy the life she has left to the fullest.The sound of Katie's voice is music to her parents' ears."She is full of joy, all the time," her mom Vera said.But about six months ago, Katie's parents started noticing changes in their daughter. She would get tired easily and started having panic attacks."We could tell something was wrong. We weren't sure what," Vera said.Then two weeks ago, Katie's symptoms took a turn for the worst."She came in the kitchen, she walked to the pantry and she had to rest. And then she walked to the counter, and then she had to rest," Vera remembered. Moments later, Vera said Katie looked like she was about to pass out."(I) grabbed her shoulders and I said 'look at me,' and when she picked her head up and looked at me, her face was completely white, her lips were completely white and her pupils instantly flashed, dilated," Vera said. "I started dialing 911 as I'm telling her 'keep breathing through your nose and out through your mouth.' She's trying, she's trying but I can tell something was just not right. She's looking worse."The teen went to a local hospital before being transferred to Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha. "What we believe for Katie to have is PVOD, is what's caused her pulmonary hypertension is extremely rare. And so this is the rarest of the rare (kinds) of pulmonary hypertension," Nurse Practitioner Venus Anderson said.PVOD stands for Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease."When the lungs are ill and sick with high resistance, the heart can only overcome that for so long," Anderson said.Anderson said Katie's heart failed the night she went to the hospital."I'm alive right now. So that's good," Katie said about how she feels at this point in her life.Katie will have to get a lung transplant. Her parents were told the life expectancy after a lung transplant is six to seven years, but getting it would improve her quality of life."We want to give her as much as we possibly can, as many experiences as we possibly can while she's here," Katie's dad Adam said.Because there's nowhere to get a pediatric lung transplant nearby, Katie flew to Texas for an evaluation. If she does get approved, Anderson said it will be months before Katie actually does get the transplant."There will be multiple medications for her to take, frequent follow-up appointments, things like that to make sure that she can stay infection free, specifically in the first year after transplant," Anderson said.For the past few weeks, Katie's voice has filled her hospital room."She's been singing to us, and playing her ukulele when she feels good," Anderson said.Her parents are hopeful she can get the transplant, so they continue hearing the sweet sounds of Katie for as long as possible."I want to do things that I want to do because I don't want to look back on my life and regret things that I didn't do," Katie said.

OMAHA, Neb. —

The sound of Katie's voice is music to her parents' ears.

"She is full of joy, all the time," her mom Vera said.

But about six months ago, Katie's parents started noticing changes in their daughter. She would get tired easily and started having panic attacks.

"We could tell something was wrong. We weren't sure what," Vera said.

Then two weeks ago, Katie's symptoms took a turn for the worst.

"She came in the kitchen, she walked to the pantry and she had to rest. And then she walked to the counter, and then she had to rest," Vera remembered.

Moments later, Vera said Katie looked like she was about to pass out.

"(I) grabbed her shoulders and I said 'look at me,' and when she picked her head up and looked at me, her face was completely white, her lips were completely white and her pupils instantly flashed, dilated," Vera said. "I started dialing 911 as I'm telling her 'keep breathing through your nose and out through your mouth.' She's trying, she's trying but I can tell something was just not right. She's looking worse."

The teen went to a local hospital before being transferred to Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha.

"What we believe for Katie to have is PVOD, is what's caused her pulmonary hypertension is extremely rare. And so this is the rarest of the rare (kinds) of pulmonary hypertension," Nurse Practitioner Venus Anderson said.

PVOD stands for Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease.

"When the lungs are ill and sick with high resistance, the heart can only overcome that for so long," Anderson said.

Anderson said Katie's heart failed the night she went to the hospital.

"I'm alive right now. So that's good," Katie said about how she feels at this point in her life.

Katie will have to get a lung transplant. Her parents were told the life expectancy after a lung transplant is six to seven years, but getting it would improve her quality of life.

"We want to give her as much as we possibly can, as many experiences as we possibly can while she's here," Katie's dad Adam said.

Because there's nowhere to get a pediatric lung transplant nearby, Katie flew to Texas for an evaluation. If she does get approved, Anderson said it will be months before Katie actually does get the transplant.

"There will be multiple medications for her to take, frequent follow-up appointments, things like that to make sure that she can stay infection free, specifically in the first year after transplant," Anderson said.

For the past few weeks, Katie's voice has filled her hospital room.

"She's been singing to us, and playing her ukulele when she feels good," Anderson said.

Her parents are hopeful she can get the transplant, so they continue hearing the sweet sounds of Katie for as long as possible.

"I want to do things that I want to do because I don't want to look back on my life and regret things that I didn't do," Katie said.

Pulmonary Veno-occlusive Disease Following Reduced-intensity Cord Blood ...

Cite this article

Gutman, J., Allen, C., Madtes, D. Et al. Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease following reduced-intensity cord blood transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 42, 559–561 (2008). Https://doi.Org/10.1038/bmt.2008.210

Download citation

Share this article Get shareable link

Search This Blog

Pulmonary Hypertension