Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Treatment With Carvedilol for Heart Failure
Phase: NA
Conditions: Pulmonary Hypertension
Sponsor: The Cleveland Clinic

 
 
 
PAHTCH Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Treatment with 
Carvedilol for Heart Failure (Carvedilol) 
 
NCT01586156 
 
 
June 26, 2014 

 
June 26, 2014 
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Treatment with Carvedilol for Heart Failure  [PAHTCH] 
 
 
Introduction 
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious condition characterized by endothelial 
dysfunction leading to pulmonary vascular constriction, smooth muscle and endothelial 
proliferation, and progressive right-sided heart failure. The severity of pulmonary hypertension is 
mostly determined by the response of the right ventricle (RV) to the increased afterload or 
pulmonary pressures, and RV failure is the leading cause of death in PAH. 
 
Most accepted therapies for PAH have been aimed at vasodilation of the pulmonary vasculature, 
and there has been little thought that PAH patients would benefit from traditional left heart failure 
treatments. A cornerstone therapy in left heart failure is β-adrenergic receptor blockade because 
of its ability to reverse cardiac remodeling and improve clinical outcomes, despite decades of 
concern regarding its propensity to exacerbate heart failure.  It has been reported to reduce 
mortality by about 30% in patients, and while the precise mechanisms that contribute to its 
beneficial effects remain to be elucidated, there is evidence that patients with underlying 
contractile reserve (i.e., via recruitment of viable myocardium with -adrenergic receptor 
stimulation) may experience greater recovery of their cardiac function.  The current treatment 
recommendations regarding the use of β blockers in pulmonary hypertension state that there are 
possible unfavorable consequences on hemodynamics and functional exercise capacity, 
particularly when a relatively diminished and fixed stroke volume can be compromised.  With a 
decreased stroke volume and an inability to increase it, patients with PAH depend on their heart 
rate response to increase cardiac output during exercise. In patients with severe mitral stenosis 
and pulmonary hypertension undergoing valvuloplasty, intravenous administration of atenolol was 
associated with further increase in pulmonary vascular resistance due to reduction in cardiac 
output.  These observations have led to the belief that -adrenergic blockers are detrimental in 
patients with PAH. This was supported by a small study of 10 patients with portopulmonary 
hypertension, in whom withdrawal of propranolol was associated with an increased exercise 
tolerance. However, only the -blockers metoprolol and carvedilol have FDA approval for the 
treatment of left heart failure, and many studies have shown that the negative short-term effects 
such as fatigue and decreased exercise capacity of β blockade are overcome by a reversal of 
unfavorable cardiac remodeling. In a study using rats with pulmonary hypertension treated with β 
blocker, RV function improved, and maladaptive myocardial remodeling was prevented. Hence, in 
the same manner, in patients with PAH who are not destabilized and have preserved cardiac 
output and hemodynamics, the true short-term risks versus long-term benefits on reducing 
progressive RV dysfunction remained untested. 
 
While the exact etiology for PAH is not known, the pulmonary endothelial dysfunction in PAH is 
associated with an impaired production of nitric oxide (NO) and activation of hypoxia-inducible 
factor 1α (HIF-1α).  HIF-1α, the subunit of the HIF-1 transcription factor regulated by both iron 
and hypoxia, is upregulated in PAH endothelial cells, and HIF-inducible hormones such as 
erythropoietin (Epo) are elevated and correlate with disease severity.  Preliminary data from our 
lab suggests the same pathobiology occurring in the pulmonary vasculature also occurs in the 
myocardium of PAH patients, including increased levels of HIF-1α, impairment of eNOS 
activation, and a switch to glycolytic metabolism.  For example, in patients with PAH compared to 
control subjects, FDG-uptake in the heart is greatly elevated.  We also find decreased amount of 
β-adrenoreceptors (AR) and cAMP in circulating mononuclear cells in PAH patients, identifying 
AR dysfunction.  In primary PAH pulmonary artery endothelial cells in culture, promising 
preliminary data demonstrate the ability of -blocker to rescue eNOS activity as measured by the 
amount of NO production, restore AR density and function on cell surfaces, and reverse the 
metabolic switch to aerobic glycolysis. Correspondingly, in patients, cross-sectional data showed 
that PAH patients who were taking low doses of β-blocker had a decreased ventricular FDG-
uptake compared to other PAH patients not taking β-blocker. Given the retrospective cross-
sectional data, effects on clinical status are unclear, but initial review of the small population 

 
June 26, 2014 
indicates no significant adverse effect on clinical functional status (NYHA class, walk distance, 
cardiac output, pulmonary artery pressure, pulse, blood pressure).  Thus, we propose to 
determine whether treatment with a β-blocker reverses biochemical abnormalities in PAH that 
lead to maladaptive right ventricular remodeling and failure, utilizing a blinded, placebo-controlled, 
randomized trial of carvedilol in PAH patients for six months.  We will also evaluate clinical 
parameters of cardiovascular function in relation to changes in the biochemical effects of 
treatment. Because PAH patients ultimately die of heart failure, carvedilol was chosen as the β-
blocker in this study, as it is one of the two β blockers currently FDA-indicated for the treatment of 
heart failure, and has been extensively well-studied for use in very severe heart failure. Carvedilol 
blocks 1AR and 2AR, as well as 1AR, the latter blocks vasoconstriction and may benefit for 
PAH patients by decreasing afterload. Additionally, carvedilol is inexpensive and generally well-
tolerated; specifically, during long term treatment, intolerance to drug in patients with severe heart 
failure (class III-IV) did not differ from patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure (class II).  
 
 
Specific Aims and Hypothesis 
We hypothesize that use of carvedilol in patients with PAH will reverse loss of, and resensitize β-
adrenoreceptors, increase production of NO, and reduce activation of HIF-1α, which altogether 
will improve right and left ventricular function, decrease right and left ventricular size, and improve 
exercise and functional capacity.  To test this, we propose a blinded, placebo-controlled, 
randomized trial of carvedilol at a fixed low-dose or dose-escalating pattern of therapy in PAH 
patients for six months with a one-week open-label run-in phase. 
 
A. Primary Aim 
To determine whether treatment with carvedilol reverses biochemical abnormalities associated 
with PAH, we will assess the following: 
1. 
Activation of HIF-1α (co-primary end points): We will assess activation of HIF-1α via 
measurement of plasma erythropoietin and myocardial glucose uptake during fasting gated 
FDG-PET. We already know that erythropoietin is elevated in PAH and that FDG-uptake is 
high. We expect both to decrease on drug. 
2. 
NO synthesis: We will determine if carvedilol restores eNOS activity and NO synthesis 
by measuring the global arginine bioavailabilty ratio (GABR), exhaled NO, and circulating 
nitrogen oxides (plasma nitrite, nitrate and urinary nitrate). We will use GABR, exhaled NO and 
plasma nitrite and urinary nitrate to monitor responses to our strategy for restoration of NO 
synthesis. We expect GABR and all measures of nitrogen oxides to increase with Carvedilol, 
just as in LV failure treated with β-blockers. 
3. 
AR recovery: We will assess βAR numbers and activation by measurement of levels of 
βAR on the surface of cells, and the intracellular messenger cAMP via flow cytometric analysis 
of circulating mononuclear cells before, during, and after treatment with Carvedilol.  We will also 
use circulating mononuclear cells to determine phospho-βAR levels.  These novel tests were 
innovated by our group for this study. We anticipate that receptor numbers and cAMP will 
increase, while phospho-βAR levels will decrease in the circulating mononuclear cells of 
patients on drug. 
 
B. Secondary Aim 
To determine whether reversal of the biochemical abnormalities as above correlate with an 
improvement in clinical parameters of disease severity, including right ventricular function, heart 
chamber size, exercise and functional capacity, and quality of life, we will assess the following: 
1. 
Ventricular function and structure:  We will utilize echocardiogram to evaluate cardiac 
chamber size and function, including estimation of RV systolic pressure (RVSP) and 
measurement of RV fractional area change (RVFAC), RV ejection fraction, myocardial 
performance index (MPI) of the RV, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), tissue 
Doppler-derived systolic velocity of the lateral tricuspid annulus (S’ velocity), three-dimensional 
RV ejection fraction, and longitudinal strain and strain rate with tissue Doppler techniques. 
Because dynamic physiologic insights into RV function will be valuable, we will capitalize on the 
ability to obtain radionuclide ventriculography measure of RV ejection fraction using the 

 
June 26, 2014 
cardiac-gated FDG.  Although software packages are available for measurement of LV ejection 
fraction by PET, they do not allow for corresponding RV measurements, and new software is 
needed for this task.  We plan to develop software for calculation of RV ejection fraction by the 
FDG-PET, and it will be available for the clinical trial.   
2. 
Quality of Life:  Measuring health-related quality of life is a key indicator of high-quality 
care.  We will use two different, well-validated questionnaire to measure quality of life: The 
Kansas City Cardiomyopathy questionnaire and Camphor questionnaire. These are easy to 
complete and important to determining the effectiveness of therapy. [Questionnaires uploaded] 
3. 
Functional capacity & biomarkers:  Other traditional clinical parameters to assess 
therapy will be performed, including clinical status (WHO class), 6-minute walk, and 
aminoterminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). All cause mortality and hospitalizations 
will be recorded for all participants in the study. 
 
 
Study Design and Methods 
A. Study Design 
This will be a double-blinded, randomized, controlled intervention with three arms preceded by an 
open-label 1-week run-in period.  This is a multi-center trial with the Cleveland Clinic being the 
leading site.  After screening and consent, all eligible patients will have their first visit at the 
Clinical Research Unit to start the open-label challenge of carvedilol at a dose of 3.125 mg twice 
daily. The patient will be monitored for at least 3 hours and if a patient tolerates this dose 
(assessed by symptoms and vital signs including blood pressure and pulse), a patient will then be 
discharged home to continue on the drug at 3.125 mg twice daily for the remainder of the week. 
Patients will receive a follow up phone call the day after their first randomization visit. Patients will 
be provided with a blood pressure monitor for home and will measure their blood pressure and 
pulse as directed, and will be contacted daily during the first week to check on vital signs and 
symptoms. Patients who are able to complete the 1-week run-in phase without adverse effects 
will return to clinic for assessment by history and physical exam. Stable patients will be 
randomized to one of three arms for 24 weeks of treatment with placebo, fixed low-dose 
Carvedilol, or dose-escalating carvedilol to maximum tolerated dose.  The first group will receive 
a placebo drug for the remainder of the study. The second group will continue with carvedilol at a 
dose of 3.125 mg twice daily. The third group of patients will receive carvedilol 3.125 mg twice 
daily one week, then 6.25 mg twice daily for second week, 12.5 mg twice daily for third week with 
the option to increase to the maximal dose of 25 mg bid for the remainder of the study period. If a 
dose is not tolerated, the dose will be decreased to the prior week’s tolerated dose for the 
remainder of the study. Subjects will receive weekly phone calls after starting the study and a 
study visit at weeks 1, and months 1, 3 and 6 to evaluate for side effects, to monitor clinical 
status, and to collect outcome data. Patients will be provided a home blood pressure monitoring 
device and asked to record pulse and blood pressure in the morning and evening with 
instructions to call at any time if systolic BP<85 mm Hg or pulse<55, or if there is any adverse 
event such as hospitalization or unscheduled doctor visits.   
 
B. Population 
We will enroll 68 subjects with pulmonary arterial hypertension Class 1,3,4 and 5 (Nice 2013) with 
symptoms consistent with NYHA Class I-III.   
 
Inclusion criteria 
 Men and women age 18 or older not greater than age 65 years 
 Diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension class 1,3,4 and 5 (Nice 2013) 
 NYHA/WHO Class I-III 
 PAH medications must have been initiated according to the latest consensus statement 
recommendations and remained stable for the last 30 days 
 Women of child-bearing age must use a double-barrier local contraception till completion of 
the study 

 
June 26, 2014 
 Subjects must demonstrate understanding of the study, sign the informed consent, and have 
a reliable method of communication for contact and ability to comply with the study 
requirements. 
 
Exclusion criteria 
 Participation in any other treatment studies during enrollment 
 Significant illness in the past 30 days requiring hospitalization 
 Hepatic insufficiency (transaminase levels >4 fold the upper limit of normal or bilirubin >2 fold 
the upper limit of normal),  
 History of HIV, Hepatitis B or C 
 Serum creatinine >2.8 mg/dl 
 Pregnancy, breast-feeding, or lack of safe contraception 
 Acute decompensated heart failure within past 30 days 
 Known allergy or intolerance to carvedilol or other β blockers 
 Significant, persistent bradycardia (resting heart rate <50 bpm) or hypotension (systolic blood 
pressure <100 mmHg or mean blood pressure <70 mmHg) at the time of enrollment 
 Second or third-degree AV block without pacemaker 
 Use of hypotensive drugs that deplete catecholamines (such as reserpine and monoamine 
oxidase inhibitors) which may lead to greater signs of hypotension or bradycardia 
 Use of amiodarone, diltiazem, verapamil, clonidine 
 Active bronchospasm 
 Other medical and psychosocial conditions as determined by principal investigator deemed 
unsuitable for enrollment 
 
C. Sample Size Rationale and Estimate 
Target enrollment for this study will be 68 patients. The primary outcomes FDG-PET uptake and 
erythropoietin, are anticipated to have positively skewed distributions, amenable to the use of 
ratios of 6-month measures relative to baseline to measure changes over time.  Log transformed 
ratios are then anticipated to have approximately normal distributions.  For secondary measures 
demonstrating less skewness or even approximate normality without the log transformation, 
absolute changes from baseline to 6 months will be used to measure change over time.  Sample 
size is determined taking into account the power of the T-test for comparing the placebo and low 
dose carvedilol groups with respect to the reduction in FDG-PET uptake, as measured by the 
ratio of 6-month uptake to baseline uptake.  Variability in FDG-uptake measures over 6 months 
suggests an expectation that the coefficient of variation in uptake ratios will not exceed 50%.   
Using a Bonferroni correction to adjust for multiple time points with =0.025, the T-test comparing 
log-ratios has 90% power to detect a difference in groups such that ratios have a 50% lower 
median for the low dose carvedilol group relative to the placebo group, if the groups contain n=14 
subjects each.  This effect size was selected based on previously observed reductions in FDG-
PET uptake of roughly 50% among patients on -blocker.  Considering 10% potential dropout 
after randomization and a 30% potential dropout during the run-in phase, we intend to enroll 68 
patients into the run-in phases, to achieve at least 48 patients eligible for randomization into the 
placebo, low dose Carvedilol, or dose escalation groups. 
 
D. Enrollment 
Recruitment Strategy 
Patients who are diagnosed with PAH will be identified as potential subjects by either a nurse or 
doctor involved in the patient’s disease management.  These patients will be referred to the study 
investigators for screening and to obtain informed consent.  Subjects will be recruited as they 
become available and without regard to gender, race, or ethnicity. 
 
Informed Consent 
All volunteers will be approached by the study investigators or their designee. The consent 
interview will take place the day of a patient visit to the Pulmonary Department. In a private 
examination room, one of the research investigators will explain the details of the study, to the 

 
June 26, 2014 
potential subject and supply the informed consent form.  The patient will be given the opportunity 
to ask any questions they may have, as well as to take the consent form home to read before 
making a decision. The investigator will ensure that subjects have a clear understanding of all 
tests involved in the study, are able to sign the consent form, and have all their questions 
answered. If the patient decides freely to participate in the outlined study, he or she will be asked 
to indicate his or her consent by signing the informed consent form.    All original, signed consent 
forms will be kept in a study binder maintained by the study coordinator, and an informed consent 
procedure note will be entered in the electronic medical record as documentation of the subject's 
informed consent.  Subjects will be given a copy of the signed consent form for their records. 
 
Eligibility Assessment & Determination  
After a potential subject has been identified, the investigator will review past right heart 
catheterization reports and the following parameters with the patient to ascertain eligibility based 
on the inclusion/exclusion criteria: 
 Patient age 
 Women of child-bearing age: whether she would be able to comply with using two methods 
of contraception for the duration of the study 
 Past medical history and current medical conditions 
 Medication allergies 
 Recent illness/hospitalization  
 Tobacco, alcohol, and substance usage 
 Patient medications:  all medications that a subject has taken, both over-the counter within 
the last month (including herbal medications) and prescribed within the last two months, will be 
reviewed.  Doses, routes of administration, and duration of therapy will be recorded. 
 
If the patient is still eligible after this initial assessment, and the patient has consented to 
participate as indicated by the signing of the consent form, the patient will undergo brief screening 
physical examination, to include blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, height, weight, and 
pulse oximetry.  The following tests will also be performed prior to official entrance into the study: 
 Urine pregnancy test 
 HIV & hepatitis screening if not performed within past 3 years or following any potential 
exposure (e.g., needle stick, high risk sexual behavior) 
 Chest X-ray (if not done within past 1 year) 
 Electrocardiogram 
 Spirometry & diffusion capacity 
 6 minute walk test 
 Blood draw for CBC & complete metabolic panel 
 
Final eligibility will be determined by the investigator after review of the medical record and data 
gathered during the screening visit.  Eligible, enrolled subjects will undergo additional baseline 
procedures: 
 Quality of life questionnaires 
 Fasting Gated FDG-PET scan 
 Echocardiography 
 Blood draw for flow cytometry, plasma nitrite and nitrate, global arginine bioavailability ratio 
(GABR), Erythropoietin, & NT-proBNP 
 Urine for nitrate 
 Exhaled NO 
 
E. Intervention 
Open-label Run-in Phase 
All enrolled, eligible subjects will receive an open-label carvedilol therapy at starting dose of 3.125 
mg twice daily for one week and be monitored at the Clinical Research Unit for the first-dose 
challenge of Carvedilol.  Upon discharge, enough carvedilol to complete the 1-week run-in period 
will be dispensed by a licensed provider.  Subjects will be instructed to return in 1 week with any 

 
June 26, 2014 
unused medication.  Those individuals who are eligible for randomization to the trial will undergo 
the procedures summarized in Table A1 “Run-in Week”. 
 
Double-blinded Randomized Phase 
At the end of the 1-week run-in phase, subjects who have tolerated the low-dose carvedilol 
without severe or limiting side effects, still meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and who wish 
to continue in the study will be randomized to one of three arms: placebo, low-dose carvedilol, or 
escalating dose carvedilol for 6 months.  Subjects and the investigators will be blinded to their 
group assignment for the duration of the study.   
 Group 1 will receive a placebo drug to take twice daily for 6 months.  
 Group 2 will receive carvedilol at a dose of 3.125 mg twice a day for 6 months. 
 Group 3 will receive carvedilol in a dose escalation scheme.  They will be given 3.125 mg 
tablets to take bid for 1 week, followed by 6.25 mg bid for 1 week, followed by 12.5 mg bid for 1 
week with the option to increase to the max dose of 25 mg bid for the remainder of the study.  
During up titration, if a dose is not tolerated, the dose will be decreased to the previous 
tolerated dose for the remainder of the study.  
Because study physicians are blinded to groups, if patients are determined to be intolerant of 
drug (based on symptoms, signs such as sitting systolic BP<85 mm Hg or resting pulse<50, or 
severe adverse event such as hospitalization for heart failure), a request for dose reduction to the 
prior week will be requested from the research pharmacist (John Petrich), who is aware of 
treatment assignment. He will provide a new week’s worth of medications at the “lower” dose. In 
the case of placebo, placebo will again be provided. In the case of fixed low-dose of carvedilol, 
placebo will be provided. In the case of dose-escalating carvedilol, the prior week’s dose will be 
provided. Regardless of changes in dose, all three randomized study groups will be compared, 
based on the intent-to-treat principle, and thus subjects will be maintained in their original 
assigned study group for analyses. 
 
Randomization scheme 
Blocked randomization will be used. The block sizes will also be random and known only to the 
research pharmacist (John Petrich, Cleveland Clinic Research Pharmacy), who will perform the 
randomization and know treatment assignment at time of enrollment. The research pharmacist 
will ensure that a disproportionate subclass (idiopathic, familial or associated PAH) and/or 
severity of PAH are not entered into any single arm of the study. 
 
Blinded Medication Dispensing 
After randomization, all subjects will receive the study medication/placebo for the first 4 weeks in 
4 separate bottles labeled “week 1,” “week 2,” “week 3” and “week 4” to blind subjects to whether 
they are assigned to the dose escalation group. All pills will be encapsulated so that dosing or 
medication cannot be discerned by patients or study investigators. Enough medication/placebo 
will be dispensed to last until the next scheduled follow-up visit.   Subjects will be instructed to 
bring all unused medication and the medication bottles (even if empty) to each follow-up visit.  
If any patients in any arm of the study appear intolerant of drug (based on symptoms such as 
persistent light-headedness, sitting systolic BP<85 mm Hg or resting pulse<50, or hospitalization 
for heart failure), they will be provided a new bottle of pills labeled “week-dose reduction” as 
following: subjects on dose-escalating carvedilol will be provided a new bottle of carvedilol at the 
prior week’s dose, subjects on fixed low-dose of carvedilol will be provided placebo pills, subjects 
on placebo will be provided a new placebo pill bottle.  Once dose reduction has occurred in the 
dose-escalating arm, subjects will be maintained on that set dose throughout the remainder of the 
study, with no further escalation of dose.  If signs or symptoms of subjects in any arm persist 
despite the dose reduction, dose reduction will again be implemented as follows: subjects on 
dose-escalating carvedilol will be provided a new bottle of carvedilol at half the current reduced 
dose, subjects on fixed low-dose carvedilol will again be provided placebo pills, subjects on 
placebo will again be provided a new placebo pill bottle. Of note, only 3 total dose reductions will 
be allowed during the entire 6 month study. Following 3 dose reductions are implemented, if 
subjects are still intolerant, they will be removed from all study drug.  
 

 
June 26, 2014 
 
 
 
Subject Instruction 
All subjects will be advised to take the study medication with a small meal. All subjects will 
receive a daily phone call for the first week after start of carvedilol during the run-in.  Thereafter, 
patients will be called weekly to screen for side effects and to monitor their clinical status. 
Patients will be provided a home blood pressure monitoring device and asked to record pulse and 
blood pressure in the morning and evening at the same time each day with instructions to call at 
any time systolic BP<85 mm Hg or pulse<55.  Lightheadedness is expected to occur, but in 
99.5% of cases in prior studies of severe heart failure, this resolves without problems. Patients 
will be instructed to sit up and rise slowly. Patients will also be instructed to call if they experience 
any new or worsening symptoms, or require hospitalization or unscheduled doctor visits. 
 
F. Follow-up Schedule 
Subjects will be scheduled for follow-up visits at week 1, and months 1, 3, and 6.  There is no 
scheduled follow-up of subjects after completion of the exit visit; subjects will then resume their 
standard of care clinical course. If patients were on carvedilol, the option to remain on therapy will 
be allowed based on patient and physician preference. If removal from therapy is requested by 
patient or physicians caring for the patient, carvedilol dose will be reduced by half every week 
until the patient is on 3.125 mg twice daily, at which time drug will be stopped. 
 
At follow-up visits, subjects will bring their medications to check for compliance and correct 
dosage.  At each visit, the subjects will undergo a physical exam including BP and pulse, 
pregnancy test, EKG, breathing tests, 6-minute walk, and echocardiogram, fill out questionnaires, 
and give a blood and urine sample.  Please see Table A1 below for details. 
 
At the study teams discretion and for patient’s convience study visits Screening Baseline and Run 
in may be combined.  
 
 
G. Data Collection 
Outcome data will be collected at the baseline visit and at follow-up visits at week 1, and months 
1, 3 and 6.  Safety monitoring parameters will be collected at all visits and via weekly phone calls 
throughout the study period. 
 
Table 1. Procedures Performed at Each Visit 
Procedure 
Screening 
Baseline 
Run-in 
Week 
Month 1 
Months 3 & 6 (or upon 
study exit) 
Chest X-ray 
X* 
 
 
 
 
Blood draw for CBC, Complete 
metabolic panel, HIV, Hepatitis 
X 
 
 
 
 
Blood draw for Erythropoietin 
 
X 
 
 
X 
Cardiac-gated fasting FDG-PET 
 
X 
 
 
X (6 month only) 
Blood draw for flow cytometry, 
plasma nitrite & nitrate, and GABR 
 
X 
X 
X 
X 
Urinary nitrate 
 
X 
X 
X 
X 
Exhaled NO 
 
X 
X 
X 
X 
Saliva Collection 
 
X 
 
 
X (6 month only) 
Quality of Life Questionnaires 
 
X 
X 
 
X 
Blood draw for NT-proBNP 
 
X 
X 
 
X 
Six Minute Walk Test 
X 
 
X 
 
X 
Echocardiogram 
 
X 
X 
 
X 
Electrocardiogram 
X 
 
X 
X 
X 
Urine pregnancy test** 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

 
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Spirometry & Diffusion capacity 
X 
 
X 
 
X 
Anticipated length of visit: 
1 hour 
5 hours 
2 hours 
2 hours 
5 hours 
*if not done in past year 
**only women of child-bearing age 
*** screening, baseline, run-in may be combined 
 
 
 
 
Blood draws 
For measurement of laboratory parameters, blood will be drawn from a peripheral vein.  Complete 
blood cell count (CBC), metabolic panel, and NT-proBNP, will be measured using standard 
laboratory techniques.  The remaining laboratory parameters will be measured by the 
investigators in the laboratory. Erythropoietin (mIU/mL) will be measured via enzyme-linked 
immunosorbent assay (ELISA).  The proportion of cells positive for cAMP will be determined via 
flow cytometry. Circulating mononuclear cells will also be assessed for phospho-βAR content by 
immunoprecipitaion and western blot, to evaluate resensitization of the receptor. Plasma nitrite 
and nitrate will be measured, and fasting levels of arginine, orthinine, and citrate in order to 
calculate the GABR [Arg /(Orn + Cit)]. 
 
Urine collection 
A urine specimen will be obtained in a sterile urine specimen cup for use of measuring urine 
nitrate and for pregnancy testing of women who are peri- or premenopausal. 
 
NYHA/WHO Functional Classification 
The patient will be classified into class I-IV based on a subjective assessment of their 
symptomatology and limitation of physical activity, as described below: 
 Class I: No limitation of physical activity. Ordinary physical activity does not cause dyspnea 
or fatigue, chest pain, or near syncope. 
 Class II: Slight limitation of physical activity. They are comfortable at rest. Ordinary physical 
activity causes undue dyspnea or fatigue, chest pain or near syncope. 
 Class III: Marked limitation of physical activity. They are comfortable at rest. Less than 
ordinary activity causes undue dyspnea or fatigue, chest pain or near syncope.  
 Class IV: Inability to carry out any physical activity without symptoms. These patients 
manifest signs of right heart failure. Dyspnea and/or fatigue may even be present at rest. 
Discomfort is increased by any physical activity. 
 
Six Minute Walk Test 
The six-minute walk test is a simple means of assessing functional capacity utilizing a 100-foot 
hallway1.   The distance that a patient can walk as quickly as possible on a flat, hard surface in 
six minutes will be measured in meters & feet.  The test will be done according to American 
Thoracic Society recommended guidelines. 
 
Echocardiogram 
Doppler echocardiography will be performed by a single well-experienced echo technologist (M. 
Park) for all studies to estimate PAP, RV and LV function using previously validated methods.  
Right ventricular function will be assessed via measurement of RV fractional area change 
(RVFAC), RV ejection fraction, myocardial performance index (MPI) of the RV, tricuspid annular 
plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), tissue Doppler-derived systolic velocity of the lateral tricuspid 
annulus (S’ velocity), three-dimensional RV ejection fraction, and longitudinal strain and strain 
rate with tissue Doppler techniques (conventional technique, 2-dimensional speckle tracking and 
velocity vector imaging). Among these methods, the most used parameters are RVFAC, TAPSE, 
S’ velocity of the lateral tricuspid annulus, and RV MPI.    
 
Exhaled NO measurement 

 
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The participant will take in a deep breath and exhale through a mouthpiece attached to the nitric 
oxide analyzer (Aerocrine).  This will be repeated for a total of three exhaled NO readings.  NO is 
measured using the American Thoracic Society recommended guidelines. 
 
FDG-PET scan 
Cardiac-gated fasting FDG-PET scans will be conducted on fasting patients at baseline and 6 
months. Finger stick blood sugar will be measured to assure fasting state (blood sugar < 120 
mg/dl). Patient data will be acquired using a clinical PET/CT scanner (Biograph mCT 128) having 
time-of-flight capable PET detectors.  First, a low-dose CT scan will be acquired to provide an 
attenuation map for PET data corrections.  Then, a PET scan will be acquired in list mode for 
fifteen minutes with ECG signals obtained during the scan.  Both static and gated images will be 
reconstructed using advanced iterative algorithms available on the scanner. All subjects will be 
fasting 8 h prior to and during the study, then injected with 370 MBq (10 mCi) FDG and scan 
performed  at 1.5 h post-injection. Images will be analyzed in a blinded fashion by D. Neumann 
using an image fusion workstation (MSViewer, CPS Innovations, Knoxville, TN) with region-of-
interest (ROI) measuring tools. A total of five ROI will be measured in heart (left & right atria, RV, 
LV and IVS). In addition, ROI will be measured for the blood pool of the thoracic aorta. FDG 
uptake depends on factors including time between injection and scan, blood glucose, and body 
mass. For consistency, relative uptake will be normalized to blood pool FDG in thoracic aorta.  
 
Safety and tolerability outcomes 
Safety monitoring parameters will be collected via daily and/or weekly phone calls and at all 
follow-up visits.  Subjects will be asked whether they have experienced any side effects and to 
describe these symptoms and to provide the BP and heart rate home records, which will be 
recorded in the electronic medical record.  We will also monitor subjects throughout their 
enrollment and record whether there have been any deaths or hospitalizations during the study.   
 
Compliance 
Subjects will be asked to bring the study medication and bottles with them to each follow-up visit.  
A tablet count will be performed to estimate compliance.  Subjects will also be asked how many 
tablets per day they have been taking on average, and how many times a week they miss a dose. 
 
H.  Early Withdrawal 
Patients may be withdrawn from the study for any of the following reasons: 
 Pregnancy 
 Lung transplantation 
 Unacceptable side effects or toxicity, as deemed by the principal investigator 
 Patient non-adherence or inability to communicate with the patient 
 More than three dose reductions of medications required 
 Patient request to withdraw from the study 
 
I. Data Monitoring 
a. Quality Control 
Data will be monitored for quality control by the study coordinator, statistician and principal 
investigator.  Within the study database, conventional limits will be set on each data entry cell to 
minimize entry of erroneous values.  
 
b. Recruitment 
Problems with recruitment will be assessed after 12 months of enrollment of the first patient.  If 
less than a fourth of the sample size has been recruited for the study, additional recruitment 
strategies will be addressed and implemented. 
 
c. Benefit/Risk and Subject Safety 
This study will be submitted to the Institutional Review Board for review of the benefits and risks 
of the proposed trial.  We plan to comprise a Data and Safety Monitoring committee to oversight 

 
June 26, 2014 
the trial. Overall, we believe the potential benefits of carvedilol for PAH outweigh the potential 
risks of the study.   
 
Potential Benefits 
A potential direct benefit to the subjects includes possible improvement in clinical symptoms for 
those randomized to carvedilol treatment.  This study may also be beneficial for future patients 
because the results of this investigation will enhance our mechanistic understanding of the 
pathophysiology of PAH, how β blockers affect patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, and 
may therefore lead to the development of new treatments for PAH and heart failure in general.  
 
 
 
Potential Risk Associated with Carvedilol Therapy 
Common side effects associated include hypotension, dizziness, fatigue, hyperglycemia, 
diarrhea, weight gain, and weakness.  Less common side effects include bradycardia, syncope, 
peripheral edema, angina, AV block, palpitation, cerebrovascular accident, hypertension, 
headache, depression, hypercholesterolemia, gout, hyperkalemia, hyponatremia, nausea, 
vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss, melena, impotence, anemia, thrombocytopenia, back pain, 
arthralgia, paresthesia, blurry vision, renal insufficiency, cough, pulmonary edema, and dyspnea.   
Rare adverse reactions may include anaphylaxis, alopecia, aplastic anemia, asthma, 
bronchospasm, bundle branch block, cholestatic jaundice, erythema multiforme, exfoliative 
dermatitis, GI bleed, hearing loss, hyperbilirubinemia, hypokalemia, interstitial pneumonitis, 
leukopenia, migraine, MI, pancytopenia, rash, seizure, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic 
epidermal mecrolysis, urinary incontinence, and xerostomia.  Subjects will be closely monitored 
for side effects throughout the study period and withdrawn from the study should unacceptable 
toxicity or side effects develop.   
 
Risk Associated with PET/CT Scans 
The radiation associated with the cardiac PET/CT scans is a potential risk to human subjects.  
For each scan, the injection of 18F-FDG (10 mCi) results in an effective dose equivalent of 7.3 
mSv.  The CT portion of the study is performed at a very low dose for the purpose of PET data 
correction and results in an effective dose equivalent of 0.2 mSv.  For this study, each subject 
may be exposed to a total of 14.6 mSv over the course of two PET/CT scans, which is considered 
to be in the acceptable range for diagnostic imaging studies.  For comparison, the typical annual 
exposure to background radiation (radon, other terrestrial sources, and cosmic rays) is about 3 
mSv, which means that the radiation exposure from this study is similar to that of seven years of 
typical exposure to background sources. 
 
 
Risks Associated with Blood Draws and Genetic Risks 
Risks associated with blood draws include brief pain resembling a bee sting, light bruising, 
bleeding, swelling, lightheadedness, and very rarely, infection. Although not a part of the 
longitudinal trial, in anticipation of future analyses of relationships of outcome parameters to 
hereditary PAH, DNA will be extracted from blood cells for genetic analyses of mutations in the 
genes associated with PAH, such as BMPR2.  Work with the DNA will be performed at Cleveland 
Clinic by our collaborator Dr. M. Aldred.  Genetic samples will only be identified by an ID number 
(not the patient name), and no genetic analyses will be performed other than that associated with 
PAH.  Any identifying data will be kept in a locked drawer. The laboratory processing the DNA is 
a research facility.  Genetic information about the patient or other information obtained from the 
blood sample will not be given to the patient, family or the patient’s doctor.  The patient may 
withdraw consent to use of the blood at any time by contacting the PI of the study.  
 
Data and Safety Monitoring 
This is a small, single-center trial, mechanistic study but will be registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. 
An internal Data Safety Monitoring committee will be comprised of Cleveland Clinic physicians 
who are experts in heart failure, -blocker therapy, functional assessment of the heart, and 

 
June 26, 2014 
pulmonary hypertension: Dr. David Taylor, Chair of the DSM committee, and members including 
Dr. Jim Thomas, and Dr. Raed Dweik. Jeff Hammel, biostatistician will also serve on the 
committee for purposes of data analyses and quality control.  Participant safety will be protected 
and monitored by weekly phone calls to the patients and biweekly review of the safety and 
tolerability outcome measures by the study coordinator.  These safety and tolerability outcomes 
and any other adverse events that occur will be recorded in the patient’s electronic medical 
record.  Any adverse events that occur will be investigated to identify possible etiology and 
relationship to study procedures and reported to the IRB and the DSM committee within 10 
working days of their discovery, with the exception of any deaths, which will be reported within 5 
working days of their discovery. 
 
 
d. Early Termination 
Because this study requires a small sample size, there are no mid-study analyses scheduled, and 
thus a plan for early termination is not necessary. 
 
 
G. Data Analysis/Reporting 
a. Analysis Plan 
Baseline characteristics will be reported, including age range and the proportions that are female, 
postmenopausal, and Caucasian.  Means and standard deviations or medians and interquartile 
range will be reported for all continuous data, and non-continuous data will be reported as 
percentages.  A log transformation may be utilized for any data that is not normally distributed. 
The three randomized study groups will be compared, based on the intent-to-treat principle, with 
respect to changes from baseline.  Repeated measures analysis of variance will be used to 
compare groups using data from all time points together, though T-tests will also be used to 
compare pairs of groups with respect to differences between pairs of time points.  Using actual 
administered doses, relationships between dose and changes over time will also be explored 
using appropriate linear or non-linear models to estimate dose-response relationships.   Reports 
of blinded group summaries of adverse events will be regularly produced for safety monitoring.  
 
b. Confidentiality 
To maintain patient confidentiality, all study data will be de-identified.  Each subject, upon 
enrolling in the study, will be assigned a three-digit subject number.  Case report forms and the 
study database will identify each subject only by subject number and will contain no patient 
identifiers.  De-identified case report forms will be kept within study binders, kept in a locked filing 
cabinet in a locked room.  Completely de-identified study data will be stored in a data table 
maintained on a password-protected computer and stored on the Cleveland Clinic network, which 
is regularly backed up.  The code identifying which patient belongs to each subject number will be 
kept in a separate locked filing cabinet in a locked room.  Only the study coordinator and 
investigators will have access to this code. 
 
 
 REFERENCES 
 
1. 
ATS statement: guidelines for the six-minute walk test. Am J Respir Crit Care 
Med 2002;166:111-7.