Pulmonary Vascular and Cardiovascular Network
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Navigating PE treatment: What AHA/ACC guidelines recommend
New AHA/ACC guidelines on acute PE care expand the recommended scope of catheter-based interventions for patients at increased risk of clinical deterioration and provide an in-depth discussion of the role of reperfusion therapies to treat PE.
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Bringing the ICU to the patient: ECMO transport programs as high-reliability systems
ECMO transport programs represent an evolution toward networked critical care, extending advanced critical care beyond fixed, tertiary care centers.
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Small steps toward a noninvasive approach to pulmonary hypertension
Noninvasive imaging approaches, particularly echocardiography-based and CT scan-based main pulmonary artery diameter assessment, offer complementary insights into early PH detection and risk stratification.
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Beyond the pump: Clinical and psychosocial dimensions of LVAD therapy
Advanced HFrEF carries high mortality, but LVAD therapy can improve survival, heart function, and quality of life.
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Shared decision-making in PAH
Shared decision-making is a collaborative process where clinicians and patients make informed health care decisions together, balancing medical evidence with patient values, which is especially important in complex conditions like PAH.
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Turning the tide in right ventricular failure: The role of mechanical support
As mechanical circulatory support technologies advance, understanding the unique features of right-sided devices is essential for optimal patient selection.
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Major takeaways from the seventh world symposium on PH
The core definition of pulmonary hypertension (PH) remains a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) > 20 mm Hg, with precapillary PH defined by a pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PCWP) ≤ 15 mm Hg and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) > 2 Wood units (WU), similar to the 2022 European guidelines.1 2 There was recognition of uncertainty…
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New developments on the forefront of intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism
Patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (IRPE), or those with right ventricular dysfunction without overt hemodynamic instability, represent a heterogenous population with short-term mortality ranging from 2% to 17%.1 While systemic anticoagulation is the mainstay therapy, select individuals may benefit from more immediate reperfusion. Catheter-based therapies (CBT), including thrombus aspiration, fragmentation, or catheter-directed thrombolysis, have seen…
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Right heart catheterization practice patterns in pulmonary hypertension in the US
In the right clinical scenario, three key hemodynamic components obtained by right heart catheterization (RHC) define precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) warranting vasodilator treatment: mean pulmonary arterial pressure >20 mm Hg, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) ≤15 mm Hg, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) >2Wood units.1 While these cutoffs are straightforward, a gap in practical application…
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Empowering ICU physicians in MCS critical care
Intensive care physicians around the nation are pivotal in improving shock-related patient outcomes. At present time, there is still a dearth of available dual-boarded cardiology and intensive care physicians around the country, and advanced heart failure fellowship positions continue to be unfilled in the NRMP match. Most intensive care units (academic and nonacademic) are currently…
