Pulmonary hypertension in potential heart transplant recipients: current treatment strategies

Pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease is the most commonly encountered form of pulmonary hypertension and is associated with a poor prognosis. As the global burden of heart failure grows, this associated disease can be a major impediment to those patients undergoing cardiac transplantation, given its association with post-transplant right ventricular failure. Unfortunately, the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension secondary to left heart failure remains poorly understood, thereby rendering targeted treatment strategies largely undefined. In this review, we provide a review of the currently available literature in this unique patient population.

The current focus on better defining the underlying pathophysiology and standardizing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease need to be interpreted and made applicable in the context of clinical practice. Given the relative paucity of successful, targeted pharmacological options, there is an increasing evidence that device-based therapies, used in conjuncture with medical therapy, may help in lowering the pulmonary pressures by causing sustained left ventricular unloading.

Pulmonary hypertension in the context of left heart disease is the most common form of pulmonary hypertension encountered in clinical practice and is associated with worse prognosis in patients being considered for cardiac transplantation. Therapies targeting left ventricular unloading, as well as pulmonary vascular remodeling, are being increasingly studied and used in daily practice.