Live broadcast to offer tips on oxygen therapy for pulmonary hypertension
Registration now open for PAH Initiative's 'Breathing Room' event
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The PAH Initiative will once again host a live broadcast event — this time focusing on how oxygen therapy can become part of the care plan for people living with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) — and registration for the free hour-long program is now open.
The event, called “Breathing Room: The Role of Oxygen in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension,” is part of the PAH Today National Broadcast Series, which aims to support people with the rare disease in their everyday lives. It’s open to patients and caregivers, and will focus on how the body takes in and uses oxygen, and the types of oxygen therapy available. The program will also provide tips on adapting to oxygen therapy and staying active.
It will air on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. EDT and again on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. EDT. Closed captioning will be available.
When registering, patients and their caregivers can submit questions to Lana Melendres-Groves, MD, a PAH specialist who will present the event live and address questions in a Q&A session. Melendres-Groves, a professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, is the medical director of the university’s pulmonary hypertension program.
The PAH Initiative is sponsored by United Therapeutics, the developer behind four approved medications for PAH: Adcirca (tadalafil), Orenitram (oral treprostinil), Remodulin (treprostinil), and Tyvaso (inhaled treprostinil).
PAH, a rare type of pulmonary hypertension, occurs when the blood vessels carrying blood from the heart to the lungs become narrowed, making it more difficult for blood to move through the lungs and pick up oxygen. This causes blood pressure to increase and can place additional strain on the right side of the heart.
Oxygen therapy aims to ease PAH symptoms
People living with PAH may experience shortness of breath and tiredness, making it challenging to carry out daily tasks. Oxygen therapy, in which the gas is delivered through a tube or mask to increase its levels in the blood, is expected to ease PAH symptoms.
“Living with PAH often requires learning to adapt, and oxygen therapy can be an important tool in your care plan,” the PAH Initiative states on its webpage for the Breathing Room broadcast.
Understanding how PAH can affect oxygen may help patients better understand the symptoms they experience during everyday activities and why their healthcare team may monitor its levels in the blood.
Through the broadcast, patients and their caregivers may also learn about different types of oxygen therapy and their potential benefits, as well as practical ways to make treatment easier to manage in daily life. This information may be particularly useful for those who have been prescribed oxygen or are discussing with their healthcare team whether it could be appropriate for them, the webpage suggests.
The program will also discuss the importance of working closely with a care team and engaging in gentle movement and exercise. Managing PAH effectively may help patients carry out daily activities more easily, while exercise programs should be individualized because the amount and intensity of activity that is safe can vary from patient to patient, per the webpage.
As in previous editions, this broadcast series offers patients an opportunity to learn more about PAH and to make lifestyle changes and adopt strategies that may help them better cope with the disease on a day-to-day basis.
Ellen Ash
How do I sign up for the PAH broadcast
Catherine
How do I register for this Event for Breathing Room on Sept. 30 or Oct. 8? I did not see a link to register. Thank you.