Evaluation of Pulmonary Vasodilator Efficacy in LVAD Patients Using Invasive Right Heart Catheter Stress Testing

Purpose: Right heart failure following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is a major complication which significantly impairs exercise capacity (EC) and quality of life (QoL). Although pulmonary vasodilators, such as phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators are commonly used for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in LVAD patients, the benefits of this practice remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pulmonary vasodilators on RV reserve, EC and QoL in LVAD patients.

Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - April 1, 2024 Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: , T. Sato, T. Nagai, K. Omote, K. Kamiya, T. Konishi, Y. Kobayashi, A. Tada, Y. Mizuguchi, Y. Takahashi, S. Naito, K. Saiin, S. Kazui, Y. Yasui, T. Hamaya, Y. Mori, S. Ishizaka, S. Wakasa, T. Anzai Source Type: research