Recent Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is the principal pre-dictor of adverse outcome in pulmonary hypertension (PH).1,2 For those PH patients requiring inpatient intensive care because of acutely decompensated heart failure, mortality estimates can range as high as 30 % to 48%.3–5 Hyponatremia, renal insufficiency, systemic hypotension, and severe tricuspid regurgitation are worrisome clinical characteristics that prog-nosticate poor outcome in this PH patient subpopulation.3,5,6 Effective strategies to optimize cardiopulmonary hemody-namics and support RV function are paramount; clinical responsiveness to pulmonary vascular/RV-specific treatment is likely to decrease the probability of requiring surgical inter-vention and, ultimately, improve outcome. This review will discuss existing evidence pertaining to the timing and utility of mechanical support in patients with RV failure attributable to pulmonary vascular disease