pulmonary artery

his patient (male, 59 years old) underwent cardiac re-transplantation for chronic rejection. Prior to re-transplantation, the patient was in NYHA class IV, with a clear chest x ray. On 14th postoperative day, he presented hemoptysis. On chest x-ray, a left lower lobe opacity was seen. Therefore, a chest CT scan was done and it showed a round mass within a pulmonary cavity surrounded by airspace in proximity of the pulmonary artery.

Background: Macitentan significantly improves pulmonary hemodynamics and survival in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). Its beneficial effect, however, may be blunted due to the adverse impacts such as anemia and peripheral edema. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a significant consequence of congenital heart disease (CHD). Its presence and severity are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We tried to evaluate that the effectiveness of the macitentan in patients with late-onset pulmonary hypertension after atrial septal defect operation in our center. Methods: The effect of a single dose of macitentan (10 mg) on pulmonary hemodynamics, functional capacity was examined in four patients with late-onset pulmonary hypertension after atrial septal defect operation. Results: The macitentan significantly improved mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), cardiac output (CO), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), right ventricle systolic wave(RVS’), 6-minute walking test and NT-proBNP levels compared with before treatment. Conclusions: Macitentan can be used in patients with late-onset pulmonary hypertension after shunt operation especially atrial septal defect.

We report a case of pulmonary embolism complicated with pulmonary tuberculosis. A 48-year-old woman suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis more than 6 years without formal treatment. Recently, she went to hospital because of “chest tightness and dyspnea”, and died in the process of admission to hospital. Pulmonary embolism was found by autopsy and histological examination. We analyzed the relationship between pulmonary tuberculosis and pulmonary thromboembolism and the problems we should pay attention to in forensic pathology.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a notoriously underdiagnosed cause of severe pulmonary hypertension. It is a form of precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) that results from intraluminal thrombus organization and fibrous formation which ultimately results in the complete obliteration of pulmonary arteries, resulting in increased pulmonary vascular resistance which leads to the development of pulmonary hypertension and as a result right heart failure. The mechanism involves the narrowing of the pulmonary artery which increases blood pressure within the lungs and impairs blood flow which increases the workload of the right side of the heart ultimately causing right heart failure. Pulmonary hypertension can also cause arrhythmias, blood clots, and bleeding in the lungs. Even though CTEPH is a deadly condition, among all forms of pulmonary hypertension, CTEPH is the only curable form. Echocardiography is the initial assessment tool for suspected PH. A right heart catheterization may be performed to confirm the presence of pulmonary hypertension. Confirmation of CTEPH requires a V/Q scan. Although ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy has a major role in the evaluation of patients with suspected CTEPH, nowadays CTA chest is being used widely as it produces much better-quality images compared to V/Q scan. Without treatment, the prognosis is very poor. Out of three treatment modalities such as; pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) surgery, balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA), and medical therapy, surgery is the gold standard. The physician must be familiar with the disease entity, early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment to improve survival. Here we present a literature review on this topic.

Between coronary artery anomalies, myocardial bridging means an epicardial coronary artery, mostly left anterior descending artery (LAD), running through an intramyocardial “tunnel” (usually in the middle segment), leading during systolic contraction, flow reduction, through the vessel. When this anomaly is associated with a coronary fistula, which “steals” more from the bloodstream, the symptoms are more pronounced, and the management complex is surgical in particular. Despite the presence from birth remains asymptomatic and it becomes clinically manifest later in the third to fourth decade of life, with a diverse palette of symptoms; angina, arrhythmias, and acute myocardial infarction up to sudden death. Diagnosis and particular management, medical, interventional, and surgical should avoid major cardiac complications and sudden death. We present two adult patients, with coronary artery bridging, one case associated with coronary artery fistula, LAD to pulmonary artery trunk, very symptomatic with surgical management, and the second only myocardial bridging controlled with medication and supervision.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with a mortality rate of 37%. There is an upregulation of adhesion molecules which leads to the expression of endothelin-1, a potent vasoconstrictor. A prospective, descriptive study was done to determine the safety and efficacy of macitentan in patients with SCD and PH. Continuous variables were reported as mean ± SEM or percentage where appropriate. We screened 13 patients and recruited five. All five patients were adults. Data were analyzed as appropriate by student t - test. Statistical significance was assumed at p < 0.05. Baseline pulmonary hemodynamics obtained by right heart catheterization and systemic hemodynamics were (± SEM): mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) 32 ± 8 mmHg, right atrial pressure (RAP) 9 ± 4 mmHg, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) 257 dynes-sec/cm5 and CI 3·7 ± 0.39 l/m2. Of all parameters, only PVR and 6-min walk distance changed significantly. For the group, MPAP decreased by 15.6%, PVR by 22.5% and RAP by 25.5%. The 6-minute walk distance increased over sixteen weeks except in Patient 4 who had a 3% decrease. The mean walk distance increased in the total distance, from 464 ± 158 meters to 477 ± 190 meters (p .123). In four patients, the adverse events were mild to moderate and did not lead to study drug discontinuation. Significant improvement in pulmonary hemodynamics and exercise capacity in patients with SCD-related pulmonary arterial hypertension. We found that macitentan was safe and well tolerated.