Usefulness of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure as a correlate of left ventricular filling pressures in pulmonary arterial hypertension

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by a pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) of 15 mm Hg had LVEDP <= 15 mm Hg and would have been erroneously diagnosed with pulmonary venous hypertension based on their PCWP measurements alone. the sensitivity and specificity was 0.89 and 0.64, respectively. A Bland-Altman analysis of the PCWP and LVEDP measurements revealed a mean bias of 0.3 mm Hg with 95% limits of agreement of -7.2 to 7.8 mm Hg.CONCLUSIONS: A PCWP <= 15 mm Hg was found to be a reliable indicator of normal LVFP in precapillary PH patients. When measured properly and analyzed in the clinical context, PCWP is a valuable tool for accurate diagnosis of PAH. (C) 2014 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. All rights reserved.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Resp Med, Pulm Vasc Grp, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Cardiol, Hemodynam Unit, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Resp Med, Pulm Vasc Grp, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Cardiol, Hemodynam Unit, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc