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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and Assessment of Right Ventricular Function in the Piglet
Published on: November 4, 2015
Effect of oxygen on right ventricular performance evaluated by radionuclide angiography in two young patients with
Insights
Oxygen therapy can improve right ventricular performance (RVP) in children with chronic lung disease and hypoxemia. This improvement may help identify patients who would benefit from long-term oxygen treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric pulmonology
- Cardiology
- Respiratory medicine
Background:
- Pulmonary hypertension is a common complication of pediatric chronic lung disease.
- It can lead to diminished right ventricular performance (RVP), cor pulmonale, and heart failure.
- Oxygen therapy is known to decrease pulmonary artery pressure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of oxygen administration on RVP in hypoxemic pediatric patients.
- To determine if RVP improves alongside pulmonary artery pressure reduction with oxygen therapy.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated two young hypoxemic patients with chronic lung conditions.
- Utilized radionuclide angiography to assess RVP before and during oxygen therapy.
- Measured changes in RVP with acute and long-term oxygen administration.
Main Results:
- A child with bronchopulmonary dysplasia showed improved RVP acutely with oxygen and further improvement after one year of continuous therapy.
- A young adult with cystic fibrosis experienced acute RVP improvement upon increased fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2).
Conclusions:
- Oxygen administration can positively impact RVP in hypoxemic patients with chronic lung disease.
- Observed RVP improvement may serve as an early indicator for patients who could benefit from long-term oxygen therapy.
Abstract:
Pulmonary hypertension is a relatively common complication of chronic lung disease in children that can cause diminished right ventricular performance (RVP) and, eventually, cor pulmonale and heart failure. Since oxygen may decrease pulmonary artery pressure in these patients, we questioned whether RVP would also improve concomitantly. We evaluated the effect of oxygen on RVP in two young hypoxemic patients by radionuclide angiography. A child with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and cor pulmonale who was not clinically in heart failure had acutely better RVP while breathing oxygen and a further improvement after continuous oxygen therapy for 1 year. In a young adult with cystic fibrosis who was suspected of being in heart failure RVP acutely improved when the FIO2 was increased. We conclude that oxygen may improve RVP in hypoxemic patients and speculate that the observation of such improvement may be valuable for the early detection of patients who can benefit from long-term oxygen therapy.
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