Pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular function in advanced heart failure

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction are frequently encountered in patients with advanced heart failure (HF). Both conditions aggravate prognosis and influence clinical decisions. Echocardiography is the screening tool of choice for pulmonary pressures and RV function, although invasive assessment of PH is necessary when advanced therapies are considered. Reversibility of PH in response to short-term pharmacologic treatment or even to long-term unloading after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is a favorable prognostic sign for both medically treated patients and heart transplant candidates. Although patients with severe PH secondary to HF have not derived benefit from pulmonary arterial hypertension therapies thus far, agents that modulate the cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway, including phosphodiesterase 5A inhibitors, hold promise and are being actively investigated in advanced HF. Therapies that lead to reduction in left-sided pressures, including cardiac resynchronization and LVAD placement, also have a favorable effect on pulmonary pressures and RV function. However, no specific medical treatment for RV dysfunction exists to date, highlighting an important gap in the management of patients with advanced HF.