Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Jess Mandel, David Poch
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

In the Clinic7 May 2013Pulmonary HypertensionJess Mandel, MD, David Poch, MD, Deborah Cotton, MD, MPH, Darren B. Taichman, MD, PhD, and Sankey V. Williams, MDJess Mandel, MDSearch for more papers by this author, David Poch, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Deborah Cotton, MD, MPHSearch for more papers by this author, Darren B. Taichman, MD, PhDSearch for more papers by this author, and Sankey V. Williams, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-158-9-201305070-01005 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The pulmonary vascular bed is normally a low-resistance, high-capacitance circuit capable of accommodating the entire cardiac output at pressures approximately 15%–20% of those in the systemic circulation. In pulmonary hypertension (PH), elevated pulmonary arterial pressure places a burden on the normally thin-walled right ventricle as it works to maintain normal blood flow. Without effective therapy, right heart dysfunction leads to progressive symptoms and is often fatal. Pulmonary hypertension is frequently a result of common left-sided heart or lung diseases. Less frequently, it results from a disease process intrinsic to the pulmonary vasculature itself. Differentiating among the several causes of PH ...References1. Pengo V, Lensing AW, Prins MH, et al; Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Study Group. Incidence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary embolism. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:2257-64. [PMID: 15163775] Google Scholar2. Galiè N, Hoeper MM, Humbert M, et al; ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines (CPG). 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