PAH Today broadcast series returns with advice on managing disease
September and November programs delve into echocardiograms, PAH's impact
The PAH Initiative‘s PAH Today national broadcast series returns in September and November with presentations from a pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) specialist for adult patients and their caregivers on managing the disease.
This year’s series, which offers insights and perspectives on coping with PAH, includes two programs covering what PAH specialists look for when evaluating echocardiogram images of the heart, and what patients should know before a next appointment, according to a PAH Initiative press release shared with Pulmonary Hypertension News.
The first broadcast, “How Specialists Use Echo to Monitor Your PAH,” will be presented 8-9 p.m. ET Sept. 6 and 2-3 p.m. ET Sept. 16.
The second presentation, “5 Things You Need to Know Before Your Next PAH Appointment,” is set for 8-9 p.m. ET Nov. 9 and 4-5 p.m. ET Nov. 11. Registration is required, limited to adults, and can be done for both events at the same time.
PAH Initiative presentations aiming to advance disease care
Each presentation will include a question-and-answer segment with the speaker, Lana Melendres-Groves, MD, a pulmonologist and medical director of the pulmonary hypertension program at the University of New Mexico.
The PAH Initiative, sponsored by United Therapeutics, seeks to advance PAH care by providing patients and caregivers with reliable information, and inspiration, to live as full lives as possible. The disease, a rare type of pulmonary hypertension (PH), is characterized by a narrowing of the pulmonary arteries, small blood vessels that transport blood through the lungs, making it for the heart to pump blood throughout the body.
United Therapeutics markets various PAH treatments in the U.S., including Adcirca (tadalafil), Orenitram (extended-release treprostinil), Remodulin (treprostinil; generics available), and Tyvaso (inhaled treprostinil).
A proper PH diagnosis can be difficult and delay the start of treatment, because disease symptoms can be similar to other heart or lung conditions. Physicians commonly use an echocardiogram, a noninvasive test of the heart’s electrical activity, as a primary screening tool for PH/PAH and also for the monitoring of the disease.
With the September presentations, patients will better understand how echocardiograms also can help with treatment planning and symptom management, and learn the importance of seeking a PAH specialist. They also will be able to view echocardiogram results to learn what the images mean and be able to ask better questions when discussing test results with their specialist.
“Today, noninvasive assessments like the Echo enable PAH specialists to routinely monitor your PAH and take action earlier—with the goal of delaying or preventing symptom worsening,” according to the PAH Today webpage about the event. “You will learn more about how PAH specialists monitor your heart to optimize a treatment plan that may help you feel better and be more active.”
Goals of the November broadcasts include providing a clear understanding of PAH’s impact on the heart and lungs, as well as the fundamentals of how PAH medications work. Attendees also will explore the benefits of treating multiple PAH pathways and learn about topics they might want to discuss with their PAH specialist to improve a treatment plan.
“This program will cover a range of important topics – how amazing your heart is, how PAH medications work (and why it matters), and how to have more honest, ‘real’ discussions with your doctor,” the webpage states.
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