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Background: Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is the treatment of choice in surgically accessible chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). An important predictor of outcome is postsurgical residual pulmonary hypertension. Objective: We aimed to use the hemodynamic response during exercise before PEA as a measurement for the hemodynamic outcome 1 year after PEA. Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2013, 299 patients underwent PEA in our center. A total of 16 patients who were assessed by means of invasive hemodynamic measurements during exercise both at baseline and 1 year after PEA were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Pre-PEA mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) increased during exercise from 35.8 ± 7.6 to 53.8 ± 5.1 mm Hg, diastolic pulmonary arterial pressure (dPAP) from 21.5 ± 5.6 to 30.3 ± 9.6 mm Hg, cardiac output (CO) from 4.4 ± 0.8 to 6.5 ± 1.9 l/min and diastolic pulmonary gradient (DPG) from 14.6 ± 4.9 to 20.7 ± 12.7 mm Hg. Post-PEA mPAP increased from 23.7 ± 6.6 at rest to 43.2 ± 7.1 mm Hg, while CO increased to a higher extent from 5.1 ± 0.9 to 8.4 ± 1.9 l/min. There were significant correlations between pre-PEA DPG/CO and dPAP/CO slopes with the pulmonary vascular resistance (Spearman r = 0.578, p = 0.019, and r = 0.547, p = 0.028) and mPAP at rest after PEA (Spearman r = 0.581, p = 0.018, and r = 0.546, p = 0.028). Conclusions: In CTEPH, the presurgical dynamic DPG/CO and dPAP/CO slopes during submaximal exercise are associated with the hemodynamic outcome 1 year after PEA. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) present with an altered inspiratory capacity (IC) reflecting dynamic hyperinflation (DH) that leads to mechanical constraints and excessive ventilatory demand, particularly during exercise, resulting in exertional dyspnea. Objectives: Assessment of the long-term consequences of altered IC and DH in PAH. Methods: 50 patients with newly diagnosed PAH were prospectively recruited. All patients were assessed by means of right heart catheterization, 6-min walking distance (6MWD) test, lung function and cardiopulmonary exercise testing, including the assessment of IC. Results: 37 patients with idiopathic PAH and 13 patients with conditions associated with PAH (29 female; mean age 51.6 ± 15.1 years; World Health Organization, WHO class, 2.7 ± 0.6) presented with a mean pulmonary arterial pressure of 42.8 ± 15.9 mm Hg and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of 737.2 ± 592.8 dyn*s/cm5. The mean IC at rest was 87.2 ± 17.3% pred. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with an IC at rest >89% pred. had a significantly better 5-year survival than those with lower values (94.1 vs. 75.1%; log-rank p = 0.036). Univariate analysis identified IC at rest (% pred.) as a predictor of survival with a hazard ratio (HR) of 5.05 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.97-26.24, p = 0.054). In multivariate analysis including PVR, WHO class, 6MWD and peak oxygen uptake as covariates, IC at rest remained an independent predictor of survival (HR: 8.06, 95% CI 0.92-70.34; p = 0.059). DH expressed as ΔIC or static hyperinflation expressed as IC/total lung capacity at rest revealed no prognostic significance. Conclusion: In patients with PAH, IC at rest is of prognostic significance at the time of diagnosis. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]