The pulmonary artery is the blood vessel carrying oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle, one of the pumping chambers of the heart, to the lungs. In the lungs, the blood picks up oxygen and then flows to the left side of the heart, where it is pumped by the left ventricle to the rest of the body through the aorta. This increased resistance, in turn, places a strain on the right ventricle, which now has to work harder than usual against the resistance to move adequate amounts of blood through the lungs.
Some patients do well by taking medicines that make the work of the right ventricle easier.
Anticoagulants, for example, can decrease the tendency of the blood to clot, thereby permitting blood to flow more freely. Diuretics decrease the amount of fluid in the body, further reducing the amount of work the heart has to do. Today, doctors can choose from a variety of medications that help lower blood pressure in the lungs and improve the performance of the heart in many patients. Medications Doctors now know that PPH patients respond differently to the different medicines that dilate, or relax, blood vessels and that no one medication is consistently effective in all patients. Because individual reactions vary, different medications have to be tried before chronic or long-term treatment begins.