Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure that occurs in the blood vessels in the lungs. It is a different measurement from the systemic blood pressure that your physician determines with an arm cuff during a normal exam. It reflects the pressure the heart must exert to pump blood through the arteries of the lungs.

Patients with pulmonary hypertension may feel extremely fatigued, dizzy and short of breath. As these are symptoms shared by other heart and lung conditions, diagnosing pulmonary hypertension often proves complex. An accurate diagnosis of the type and severity of each patient’s pulmonary hypertension is essential and should be performed under the direction of a team specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of all forms of the disease. Medications and treatment plans must be tailored to each patient’s unique diagnosis.

We offer:

• Six-minute walk testing
• Advanced therapies for all types of pulmonary hypertension
• Collaborative care consultations
• Collaboration with AdventHealth Lung Transplant Program
• CTEPH management, including on-site surgical option (PTE)
• Echocardiography
• Participation in pulmonary hypertension clinical research trials
• Pulmonary vasodilator studies
• Right and left heart catheterization
• SHAPE testing
• Trans-esophageal echocardiography
• Treatment of valvular heart disease (as it relates to pulmonary hypertension)

Your personalized treatment plan may benefit from medications that can help manage your pulmonary hypertension. These may include:

• Remodulin intravenous or subcutaneous
• Tyvaso
• Flolan
• Veletri
• Riociguat
• Sildenafil/Revatio
• Adcirca
• Opsumit
• Letairis
• Uptravi
• Ventavis

Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE)

This operation removes organized clotted blood (thrombus) from the pulmonary arteries, which supply blood to the lungs. The surgery can potentially cure a condition called chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

With CTEPH, blood clots get trapped within the walls of the arteries and develop scar tissue over time. Pressure in the lungs is high and breathing can be difficult. The blockage leads to high pressures in the arteries, eventually leading to right heart failure and damage to the lungs.

Who is eligible for pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE)?

If you have CTEPH, your health care provider will examine you in order to assess your general level of health. They will also assess your breathing and the damage to your heart. The location of the blockages helps determine whether or not the surgery will be successful.