Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a chronic progressive disease of pulmonary circulation characterised by indistinct ethiopathogenesis. We present a case of a 50 year-old male with thrombophilia of unknown origin leading to the formation of multiple thrombi within venous circulation followed by episodes of acute pulmonary embolism resulting ultimately in acute heart failu...

Recently, CP Appelton presented an elegant animal study on the hemodynamic determinants of Doppler pulmonary venous flow velocity components (1). One of the conclusions was that the late systolic pressure increase in the pulmonary vein system was a direct result of the right ventricular stroke volume. The late systolic component of the pulmonary venous flow curve was a direct result of the righ...

A heterotopic cardiac transplantation model in which the donor heart was able to maintain the systemic and pulmonary circulation of the recipient was devised, which did not require extracorporeal circulation or heparinization. All donor hearts in five pairs of adult mongrel dogs were resuscitated, and the systemic and pulmonary circulations maintained by the donor hearts alone were studied hemo...

Knowledge of the structure and function of pulmonary circulation has evolved considerably in the last few decades. The use of non-invasive imaging techniques to assess the anatomy and function of the pulmonary vessels and heart has taken on added importance with the recent advent of novel therapies. Imaging findings not only constitute a diagnostic tool but have also proven to be essential for ...

For babies born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, several open-heart surgeries are required. During Stage I, a Norwood procedure is performed to construct an appropriate circulation to both the systemic and the pulmonary arteries. The pulmonary arteries receive flow from the systemic circulation, often using a Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt between the innominate artery and the right pulmonary ...

Surgical resection of pulmonary metastasis is appropriate provided the general principals of oncological surgery are followed. Complete excision of the metastatic tumor is associated with long-term survival and low perioperative mortality. We present 2 cases of single pulmonary metastasis from osteosarcoma with cardiac involvement. In both cases, complete excision required left pneumonectomy by...

Wave intensity analysis (WIA) is a recently described haemodynamic analysis methodology which enables assessment of ventriculo-arterial interactions via time-domain analysis of pressure and flow waveforms [1]. It enables quantification of wave energy, separation of waves into forward and backward components, and estimation of wave speed [2]. To date, WIA has not been applied to the pulmonary ar...

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a form of pulmonary hypertension, is a complex disease of multifactorial origin. While new developments regarding pathophysiological features and therapeutic options in PAH are being reported, one important fact has emerged over the years: there is a sex difference in the incidence of this disease such that while there is a higher incidence in females, dis...

The pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide was measured by single breath (DcoSB) and steady state (DcoSS) techniques in 48 patients with various pulmonary circulatory disorders and the results compared with the type of hemodynamic abnormality. Patients with pure inflow obstruction (primary pulmonary hypertension, recurrent pulmonary emboli) had the lowest Dco (mean DcoSB = 14.3 ml/min...

Background. Increased pulmonary vascular resistance is common in congenital heart disease and is exacerbated by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We investigated whether CPB is responsible for pulmonary endothelial dysfunction and contributes to postoperative pulmonary hypertension. Methods and Results. We infused the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine (ACH) into the pulmonary circulat...