The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Apr 2015
Functional outcomes and quality of life after normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion lung transplantation.
Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is an effective method to assess and improve the function of otherwise unacceptable lungs, alleviating the shortage of donor lungs. The early results with EVLP have been encouraging, but longer-term results, including functional and patient-reported outcomes, are not well characterized. ⋯ EVLP is a safe and effective method of assessing and using high-risk donor lungs before transplantation and leads to acceptable long-term survival, graft function, and improvements of quality of life that are comparable with conventionally selected donor lungs.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Mar 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyUse of responder threshold criteria to evaluate the response to treatment in the phase III CHEST-1 study.
In the Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Soluble Guanylate Cyclase - Stimulator Trial 1 (CHEST-1) study, riociguat improved 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) vs placebo in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension or persistent/recurrent pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy. In this study, the proportion of patients who achieved responder thresholds that correlate with improved outcome in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension was determined at baseline and at the end of CHEST-1. ⋯ In this exploratory analysis, riociguat increased the proportion of patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension or persistent/recurrent pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy achieving criteria defining a positive response to therapy.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Mar 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyLimitations of right heart catheterization in the diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with pulmonary hypertension related to left heart disease: insights from a wireless pulmonary artery pressure monitoring system.
Although right heart catheterization (RHC) remains the gold standard for assessment of hemodynamics in patients with known or suspected pulmonary hypertension (PH), there are significant limitations to this type of assessment. The current study evaluates the limitations of RHC in the diagnosis of left heart-related PH (World Health Organization group II) among patients enrolled in the CHAMPION trial and discusses insights into patient risk from home implantable hemodynamic monitor (IHM) data that were not identified at the time of the RHC procedure. ⋯ Using only RHC, World Health Organization group II PH may be significantly under-diagnosed. In patients with left-sided HF and resting mean PA pressure ≤25 mm Hg during RHC, more frequent PA pressure monitoring using an IHM device can provide additional data for improved diagnosis and patient risk stratification compared with a single RHC alone.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Mar 2015
Assessment of right ventricular adaptability to loading conditions can improve the timing of listing to transplantation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Right ventricle (RV) performance is load dependent, and right-sided heart failure (RHF) is the main cause of death in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Prediction of RV worsening for timely identification of patients needing transplantation (Tx) is paramount. Assessment of RV adaptability to load has proved useful in certain clinical circumstances. This study assessed its predictive value for RHF-free and Tx-free outcome with PAH. ⋯ Assessment of RV adaptability to load allows prediction of RV function and Tx-free survival with severe PAH during the next 1 to 3 years. This can improve the timing of listing for Tx.