ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Recent guidelines have proposed first-line combination therapy as a potential strategy for the treatment of functional class IV pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). METHODS: We analyzed efficacy and safety of upfront epoprostenol and bosentan combination therapy in consecutive patients with idiopathic, heritable, or anorexigen-associated PAH and compared outcomes with matched controls treated by epoprostenol monotherapy. RESULTS: Data for 16 functional class III patients and 7 functional class IV patients were analyzed. Baseline 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) was 287 ± 133 meters, mean pulmonary artery pressure was 65 ± 12 mm Hg, cardiac index was 1.8 ± 0.3 L/min/m(2), and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was 1493 ± 398 dynes/sec/cm(5). After 4 months, 6MWD and PVR significantly improved to 421 ± 100 meters and 784 ± 364 dynes/sec/cm(5), respectively. These improvements were maintained long-term (30 ± 19 months). At 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, overall survival estimates were 100%, 94%, 94%, and 74%, and transplant-free survival estimates were 96%, 85%, 77%, and 60%, respectively. Compared with matched controls started on epoprostenol monotherapy, there was a trend to an improvement in overall survival (p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Initial combination therapy with epoprostenol and bosentan in patients with severe PAH is associated with improvements in important outcomes such as functional class, exercise capacity, and hemodynamics. This combination strategy might also favorably affect overall and transplant-free survival.
Subject(s)
Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use , Epoprostenol/therapeutic use , Hypertension, Pulmonary/drug therapy , Sulfonamides/therapeutic use , Adult , Antihypertensive Agents/administration & dosage , Antihypertensive Agents/adverse effects , Bosentan , Case-Control Studies , Drug Therapy, Combination , Epoprostenol/administration & dosage , Epoprostenol/adverse effects , Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension , Female , Humans , Hypertension, Pulmonary/physiopathology , Injections, Intravenous , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Severity of Illness Index , Sulfonamides/administration & dosage , Sulfonamides/adverse effects , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare disorder and can be misdiagnosed as idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH). PVOD and iPAH often share a similar clinical presentation, genetic background, and hemodynamic profile. PVOD accounts for 5 to 10% of cases initially considered as iPAH. When compared with iPAH, PVOD is characterized by a higher male:female ratio, higher tobacco exposure, and lower PaO (2) at rest, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and oxygen saturation nadir during the 6-minute walk test. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the chest may be suggestive of PVOD in the presence of centrilobular ground-glass opacities, septal lines, and lymph node enlargement. Additionally, occult alveolar hemorrhage is associated with PVOD. Definitive diagnosis necessitates a surgical lung biopsy; however, this procedure is exceedingly high risk in this patient population and is generally not recommended. Therefore, a noninvasive diagnostic approach using HRCT of the chest, arterial blood gases, pulmonary function tests, and bronchoalveolar lavage may be helpful to detect PVOD. In contrast with iPAH, PVOD is characterized by an even poorer prognosis and the possibility of developing severe pulmonary edema with specific PAH therapy. Lung transplantation remains the treatment of choice, but cautious use of specific PAH therapy can be helpful in select patients while awaiting this intervention.
