Under the joint leadership of Joseph Bavaria, MD , and Robert Kotloff, MD , current survival rates for the program at Penn consistently equal or exceed national averages. Vasodilator therapy for pulmonary hypertension Vasodilator therapy is a drug therapy used to treat primary pulmonary hypertension. Vasodilators dilate the blood vessels in the lungs and reduce the hypertension. Continuous intravenous prostacyclin for pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary hypertension is a condition in which the blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs is increased. Vasodilators dilate the blood vessels in the lungs and reduce the hypertension.
Some vasodilators dilate the blood vessels in the lungs and reduce the hypertension.
Some vasodilator medications may be administered by mouth. Patients with severe exercise limitations who don't respond well to oral vasodilators are candiates for treatment with continuous intravenous prostacyclin. This medication has been shown to improve circulation in the lung's blood vessels, as well as patients' exercise tolerance, and survival rates. Prostacyclin is administered continuously through a catheter placed in the vein. Patients who undergo prostacyclin therapy must be hospitalized at the initiation of treatment for monitoring and education.