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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Shunt Surgery, Right Heart Catheterization, and Vascular Morphometry in a Rat Model for Flow-induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Published on: February 11, 2017
Plasma cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate in patients with elevated pulmonary pressure due to left-to-right shunt
Tsvetomir Loukanov1, Hiroaki Takahashi, Pencho Tonchev
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Germany. Tsvetomir.Loukanov@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Background:
Increased pulmonary blood flow in patients with left-to-right shunt has been shown to be associated with alterations in prostacyclin-synthesis. There are limited data with respect to the plasma cAMP in patients with elevated pulmonary artery pressure due to left-to-right shunt. We hypothesized that plasma cAMP might be influenced by pulmonary blood flow or pressure in patients with left-to-right shunt.
Methods:
Plasma cAMP from venous blood was measured in 122 healthy controls aged 8.3 (0.2 - 14.9) years (median [range]) and in 130 patients with left-to-right shunt aged 1.4 (0.1 - 19.1) years by radioimmunoassay.
Results:
Plasma cAMP in controls and in patients was similar and decreased with age. Healthy infants (n = 42) showed higher plasma cAMP (46 [27-112] nmol/l) than children > 6 years of age (n = 40, 39 [19-73] nmol/l; P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
These values should be taken into consideration when reporting plasma values for cAMP in patients with congenital heart disease. The values for healthy children obtained in this study should allow a better interpretation of plasma cAMP levels in various disease conditions such as chronic renal failure, liver chirrhosis, hyperthyreosis, or children with intellectual disability.
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