Increased lung arterial obstruction is significantly associated with greater airflow obstruction in people with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and without a smoking history, a study shows. Notably, airflow obstruction, reflected by a reduced ability to exhale quickly, was lessened with reduced arterial obstruction and improved blood flow following…

According to a recent study published in the journal Heart, RV afterload increases in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) during exercise, resulting in a marked reduction in RVEF and SV reserve. However, sildenafil may reverse this effect. In patients with…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Device Designation to  software being developed by Bayer and Merck — known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada — to help identify chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). CTEPH is a rare form of pulmonary hypertension thought to…

Understanding the science behind chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has come a long way since, originally, a diagnosis was made postmortem. Although it is commonly underdiagnosed and undertreated, CTEPH can be cured via pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA), a technique that dates back almost to the first diagnosis of CTEPH. “At the…

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty, a procedure to widen narrowed lung blood vessels, was still benefitting patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) six months after doctors performed it, a Japanese study found. The procedure increased patients’ cardiac output, or amount of the blood the heart is pumping, and exercise capacity, researchers said.

A form of pulmonary hypertension known as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension may be under-diagnosed and under-treated, a review of research articles suggests. The study, “An epidemiological analysis of the burden of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in the USA, Europe and Japan,” was published in the European…

Metabolic differences affecting energy production were observed in endothelial cells — the cells that line blood vessels — from patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). These distinctions could underlie differences in disease mechanisms and necessary treatment approaches, according to a recent study.

In a new study, researchers determined that elevated serum bilirubin levels and a low 6-minute walk distance are predictors of poor prognosis in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. The research — whose findings appear to offer important disease prognosis markers — is titled “Serum Bilirubin and 6-min Walk Distance as Prognostic Predictors…

Direct oral anticoagulants — a type of blood thinner medication — are a safe and effective treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), according to a small study. The study, “Use of direct oral anticoagulants for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension,” was published in the journal Clinics.

In this video from Living Healthy Chicago, Jack Wilk shares the story of his chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) diagnosis. A study finds that international diagnosis and management practices for CTEPH are inadequate. Read more here.  Jack first started to notice symptoms five years ago when he began to get…

A new meta-analysis assessing balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and Adempas (riociguat) for treating inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) found both treatment strategies to be well-tolerated, and able to improve exercise tolerance and the function of the circulatory system. The study with that finding, “Balloon…

Among people with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), risk assessments and treatment patterns prior to surgical procedures do not predict outcomes after surgery, a new study from Sweden shows. The results suggest that most CTEPH patients who don’t undergo surgery remain in the same risk category for at least…