Pulmonary vascular disease & thromboembolismCross-sectional study
Right Heart Failure as a Cause of Pulmonary Congestion in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
- Cross-sectional study
- single-centre
Authors' conclusion
Lung ultrasound commonly discloses pulmonary congestion in PAH. This finding is related to right ventricular to pulmonary artery uncoupling, and may tentatively be explained by increased central venous pressure impeding lymphatic outflow.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with idiopathic PAH referred to a tertiary centre, January 2020 to December 2022
- Participants
- 102 patients
- Outcome
- Pulmonary congestion by lung ultrasound B-lines (8-site scan)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
B-lines on lung ultrasound
- Patients with B-lines
- 77 out of 102 patients (75%)
- Number of B-lines, median [IQR]
- 3 [IQR 1-5]
- Independent predictor of B-lines: Right atrial pressure (RAP)
- p < 0.001
- Independent predictor of B-lines: Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE)/systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP)
- p = 0.001
- Independent predictor of B-lines: N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)
- p = 0.04
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Univariable correlates of B-lines
- Positive correlation with male sex, age, NT-proBNP, sPAP, RAP, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), LV end-diastolic volume and TAPSE; negative with cardiac output and stroke volume
Original publication
Right Heart Failure as a Cause of Pulmonary Congestion in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Eur J Heart Fail. Published 26 February 2024. doi:10.1002/ejhf.3172
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it