Pulmonary hypertension in adults with congenital heart disease and Eisenmenger syndrome: current advanced management strategies (original) (raw)
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A Multifaceted Approach to Pulmonary Hypertension in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease
Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 2018
Advances in the management of congenital heart disease (CHD) in children have resulted in growing numbers of adults with CHD. Pulmonary arterial hypertension related to CHD (PAH-CHD) is a common complication, affecting up to 10% of patients; and can arise even after successful and complete defect repair, with severe and potentially fatal consequences. Careful work-up in these patients is essential, particularly hemodynamic assessment, and can help define the most appropriate therapeutic approach. Management can be challenging, but the therapeutic armamentarium is continually expanding and now includes surgical, transcatheter and medical options. Timely correction of defects along with early treatment with advanced medical therapies appears to improve quality of life and possible even improve survival. Interestingly most studies of PAH-CHD have focused on its most severely afflicted patients, those with Eisenmenger Syndrome, making it less certain how to manage PAH-CHD of milder degrees. This review summarizes our current understanding of PAH-CHD and emphasizes the need for close follow-up in specialized centers of care where close collaboration is common practice.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension: closing the gap in congenital heart disease
Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, 2020
Purpose of review Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (PAH-CHD) is a common association adversely affecting quality of life and survival in these patients. We provide herewith recent advances in the understanding and management of PAH-CHD. Recent findings Significant progress has been made in disease-targeting therapy with pulmonary vasodilators for the treatment of Eisenmenger syndrome, the most severe form of PAH-CHD. Important gaps, however, still exist in the assessment and management of patients with PAH-CHD with systemic to pulmonary shunts. The choice of therapy, either interventional, medical, or both is an ongoing dilemma that requires more longterm data. PAH after defect closure represents the most concerning subgroup of patients with the worst prognosis, requiring close follow-up and proactive disease-targeting therapy treatment. Small defects are not considered responsible for patients who have severe PAH and therefore, present different subgroup of patients similar to idiopathic PAH. Summary Even with advances in diagnosis and treatment PAH-CHD remains a challenging field requiring lifelong follow-up and meticulous treatment in centres specialized in both CHD and PAH.
Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy, 2021
Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is common in congenital heart disease (CHD). Because clinical-trial data on PAH associated with CHD (PAH-CHD) remain limited, registry data on the long-term course are essential. This analysis aimed to update information from the COMPERA-CHD registry on management strategies based on real-world data. Methods: The prospective international pulmonary hypertension registry COMPERA has since 2007 enrolled more than 10,000 patients. COMPERA-CHD is a sub-registry for patients with PAH-CHD Results: A total of 769 patients with PAH-CHD from 62 specialized centers in 12 countries were included into COMPERA-CHD from January 2007 through September 2020. At the last follow-up in 09/2020, patients [mean age 45.3±16.8 years; 512 (66%) female] had either post-tricuspid shunts (n=359; 46.7%), pre-tricuspid shunts (n=249; 32.4%), complex CHD (n=132; 17.2%), congenital left heart or aortic valve or aortic disease (n=9; 1.3%), or miscellaneous CHD (n=20; 2.6%). The mean 6-minute walking distance was 369±121 m, and 28.2%, 56.0%, and 3.8% were in WHO functional class I/II, III or IV, respectively (12.0% unknown). Compared with the previously published COMPERA-CHD data, after 21 months of followup, the number of included PAH-CHD patients increased by 91 (13.4%). Within this group the number of Eisenmenger patients rose by 39 (16.3%), the number of "Non-Eisenmenger PAH" patients by 45 (26.9%). Currently, among the 674 patients from the PAH-CHD group with at least one follow-up, 450 (66.8%) received endothelin receptor antagonists (ERA), 416 (61.7%) PDE-5 inhibitors, 85 (12.6%) prostacyclin analogues, and 36 (5.3%) the sGC stimulator riociguat. While at first inclusion in the COMPERA-CHD registry, treatment was predominantly monotherapy (69.3%), this has shifted to favoring combination therapy in the current group (53%). For the first time, the nature, frequency, and treatment of significant comorbidities requiring supportive care and medication are described. Conclusions: Analyzing "real life data" from the international COMPERA-CHD registry, we present a comprehensive overview about current management modalities and treatment concepts in PAH-CHD. There was an trend towards more aggressive treatment strategies and combination therapies. In the future, particular attention must be directed to the "Non-Eisenmenger PAH" group and to patients with complex CHD, including Fontan patients.
Pulmonary hypertension related to congenital heart disease: A comprehensive review
Global Cardiology Science and Practice, 2015
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious complication of congenital heart disease, causing an increase in morbidity and mortality. The progressive and irreversible pulmonary vascular disease is more often the consequence of a significant, uncorrected, left-to-right shunt. The rise in pulmonary vascular resistance may lead to the reversal of the shunt and cyanosis, condition known as Eisenmenger syndrome. The management of this population is challenging and requires specific expertise both for diagnosis and follow-up. The progress in the understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of this condition has promoted recent pharmacological trials. New therapeutic options are now available that could improve the long-term prognosis and the quality of life of these patients, but several controversial points still remain and need to be addressed.
Cardiology in the Young, 2008
Pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital systemic-to-pulmonary shunts has been classified in the Evian-Venice classification as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which includes a heterogeneous group of conditions. Emerging treatment options for patients with PAH are mostly investigated in those with idiopathic PAH but may also improve quality of life and survival in patients with congenital heart disease and PAH. However, despite the evident similarities in pulmonary vascular disease, important differences have to be recognized between patients with PAH associated with systemic-to-pulmonary shunts and those with other conditions. Patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital heart disease form a rather heterogeneous patient population in which generalization is hazardous. Specific considerations with respect to cardiac diagnosis, prognosis, evolution of pulmonary vascular disease and circulatory physiology have to be made in the individual patient, before embarking on new medical treatment strategies. This review highlights the features that require specific attention in these patients. Further, the currently available data on effectiveness of new PAH-drugs in Eisenmenger patients will be discussed shortly.
International Journal of Cardiology, 2008
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with congenital heart disease remains a major problem despite advances in cardiac surgery. Recently, advanced therapies for PAH have become available and have been effective in reducing pulmonary vascular resistance and symptoms in patients with near-systemic pulmonary arterial pressures, previously thought to have irreversible pulmonary vascular disease. This has led to a new dilemma, namely could intracardiac communications previously considered inoperable due to severe pulmonary vascular disease become amenable to surgery after successful treatment with advanced therapy? We address, hereby, the potential merits and hazards of a "treat-and-repair" approach using advanced therapies in patients with PAH associated with congenital heart disease.
Pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital heart disease; clinical decision scenario
Respiratory medicine case reports, 2020
Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (PAH-CHD) is one type under group 1 PH. Undiagnosed or delayed diagnosis of significant CHD might lead to significant PAH and at the end might lead to Eisenmenger syndrome. We could expect the degree of PAH in patients with CHD by proper clinical assessment as well as by the basic assessment tools including the chest x-ray (CXR), ECG, and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). We are presenting a three and half years old child with a delayed/missed diagnosis of large patent ductus arteries (PDA) who present with significant PAH. Clinical evaluation, CXR, ECG, TTE, as well as cardiac catheterization data are presented, with a review of the current guidelines regarding the management of pediatric patients with PAH-CHD.