Experience with inhaled iloprost and bosentan in portopulmonary hypertension

Indications for and outcomes after combined lung and liver transplantation: a single-center experience on 13 consecutive cases

BACKGROUND

Combined lung and liver transplantation (Lu-LTx) is a therapeutic option for selected patients with coexisting lung and liver disease. For several reasons, Lu-LTx is performed in few centers and information about the technical issues, posttransplant management and long-term outcomes associated with this procedure is limited.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 13 consecutive patients who underwent combined Lu-LTx at Hannover Medical School (Hannover, Germany) between April 1999 and December 2003. The main indications were cystic fibrosis, alpha1-proteinase inhibitor deficiency and portopulmonary hypertension. All patients had advanced cirrhosis and severe pulmonary disease manifestation.

RESULTS

Ten patients received a sequential double Lu-LTx, one patient received a single Lu-LTx, one received a double lung and split liver transplantation, and one received an en-bloc heart-lung and liver transplantation. Immunosuppression was based on cyclosporine in a triple/quadruple regimen. Postoperative surgical complications occurred in eight patients. There were two perioperative deaths; two patients died during the first year on day 67 and 354, respectively, and one patient died at month 53. The overall patient survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 69%, 62%, and 49%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Combined Lu-LTx is a therapeutic option for highly selected patients with end-stage lung and liver disease with acceptable long-term outcome.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension

Significant advances in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have occurred over the last 10 years, starting with the approval of epoprostenol in 1998. Subsequently, multiple additional medications have received approval, including a subcutaneous prostacyclin, an inhaled prostacyclin, and oral medications in 2 separate classes. Over this same period, the classification of pulmonary hypertension has been revised with changes including the substitution of the term idiopathic for primary PAH and an expanded list of conditions felt to be associated with the development of PAH. Long-term follow-up studies have provided better information on prognosis and expected outcomes with treatment, with particularly valuable data on reassessment of prognosis after treatment with epoprostenol. Combination therapy is more frequently being used, and limited data on novel therapies such as stem cell transplantation have been published. The purpose of this review is to describe the current state of evidence for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of the patient with PAH.

Initial experience using continuous intravenous treprostinil to manage pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with end-stage liver disease

Treprostinil is a prostacyclin analog and has been used on idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). There is only limited clinical experience using treprostinil to manage PAH in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). We report three ESLD patients with PAH, who were treated with continuous intravenous treprostinil. A 59-year-old woman with ESLD secondary to alcoholic hepatitis had portopulmonary hypertension with mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) of 44 mmHg and transpulmonary gradient (TPG) of 23 mmHg. Treprostinil at 45 ng/kg/min for 6 months decreased mPAP to 23 (TPG to 8). A 53-year-old man had ESLD secondary to alcoholic hepatitis with PAH caused by multiple pulmonary embolisms (mPAP of 32 and TPG of 23). Treprostinil at 36 ng/kg/min for 3 months decreased mPAP to 23 and TPG to 14. Both patients underwent uneventful liver transplantation. A 48-year-old man had ESLD secondary to hepatitis C and portopulmonary hypertension with mPAP of 60 and TPG of 44. Two years after intravenous treprostinil at 106 ng/kg/min, his mPAP decreased to 44 and TPG to 30. These results demonstrate that for a selected group of ESLD patients with PAH, a continuous intravenous infusion of treprostinil appears to be safe and effective.