American Lung Association Pulmonary Hypertension Roundtable: Executive Summary.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology and Respiratory Medicine
• Pulmonary Hypertension Research
• Clinical Guideline Development

Background:

• Pulmonary hypertension (PH) management evolves with new European Guidelines and the 7th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension (WSPH).
• Previous guidelines from 2015, 2018, and 2019 require updates to reflect current understanding and treatment advancements.
• Expert consensus is crucial for interpreting and applying evolving PH guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create an educational resource summarizing current Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) guidelines for healthcare providers.
• To critically evaluate existing guidelines, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and discrepancies.
• To provide expert recommendations for integrating sotatercept into current PH treatment protocols.

Main Methods:

• Convening a scientific roundtable with pulmonary hypertension experts.
• Analyzing and comparing the latest European PH Guidelines and 7th WSPH recommendations against prior guidelines (2015, 2018, 2019).
• Developing an executive summary based on roundtable discussions and published proceedings.

Main Results:

• The executive summary details revised hemodynamic criteria for defining pre- and post-capillary PH and exercise-induced PH.
• Updated recommendations cover PH diagnosis, clinical classifications, and screening in high-risk populations.
• Treatment algorithms for various PH types, including PAH, PH with lung disease, and CTEPH, are presented.

Conclusions:

• The updated guidelines and expert review offer a comprehensive approach to PH diagnosis and management.
• Incorporation of new data and treatments like sotatercept is essential for optimizing patient outcomes.
• This resource aims to improve provider knowledge and standardize care for pulmonary hypertension patients.