Hemodynamics should be the primary approach to diagnosing, following, and managing pulmonary arterial hypertension

Circulating NEDD9 is increased in pulmonary arterial hypertension: A multicenter, retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a highly morbid disease characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and pathogenic right ventricular remodeling. Endothelial expression of the prometastatic protein NEDD9 is increased in fibrotic PAH arterioles, and NEDD9 inhibition decreases PVR in experimental PAH. We hypothesized that circulating NEDD9 is increased in PAH and informs the clinical profile of patients.

METHODS

Clinical data and plasma samples were analyzed retrospectively for 242 patients from 5 referral centers (2010-2017): PAH (n = 139; female 82%, 58 [48-67] years), non-PAH pulmonary hypertension (PH) (n = 54; female 56%, 63.4 ± 12.2 years), and dyspnea non-PH controls (n = 36; female 75%, 54.2 ± 14.0 years).

RESULTS

Compared with controls, NEDD9 was increased in PAH by 1.82-fold (p < 0.0001). Elevated NEDD9 correlated with PVR in idiopathic PAH (ρ = 0.42, p < 0.0001, n = 54), connective tissue disease (CTD)-PAH (ρ = 0.53, p < 0.0001, n = 53), and congenital heart disease-PAH (ρ = 0.68, p < 0.0001, n = 10). In CTD-PAH, NEDD9 correlated with 6-minute walk distance (ρ = -0.35, p = 0.028, n = 39). In contrast to the PAH biomarker N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (n = 38), NEDD9 correlated inversely with exercise pulmonary artery wedge pressure and more strongly with right ventricular ejection fraction (ρ = -0.41, p = 0.006, n = 45) in a mixed population. The adjusted hazard ratio for lung transplant-free survival was 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.22, p = 0.01) and 1.75 (95% CI, 1.12-2.73, p = 0.01) per 1 ng/ml and 5 ng/ml increase in plasma NEDD9, respectively, by Cox proportional hazard model.

CONCLUSIONS

In PAH, plasma NEDD9 is increased and associates with key prognostic variables. Prospective studies that include hard end points are warranted to validate NEDD9 as a novel PAH biomarker.

Association Between Hemodynamic Markers of Pulmonary Hypertension and Outcomes in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Importance

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is highly prevalent, yet there are no specific therapies, possibly due to phenotypic heterogeneity. The development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with HFpEF is considered a high-risk phenotype in need of targeted therapies, but there have been limited hemodynamic and outcomes data.

Objective

To identify the hemodynamic characteristics and outcomes of PH-HFpEF.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Cohort study of participants who had a right heart catheterization from January 2005 to September 2012 (median [interquartile range] follow-up time, 1578 [554-2513] days) were analyzed. Hemodynamic catheterization data was linked to the clinical data repository of all inpatient and outpatient encounters across a health system. Single tertiary referral center for heart failure and PH within a large health care network using a common clinical data repository was studied. There were 19 262 procedures in 10 023 participants.

Exposures

Participants were classified as having no PH, precapillary PH, or PH in the setting of left heart disease (reduced or preserved ejection fraction). Pulmonary hypertension associated with HFpEF was defined as mean pulmonary artery pressure of 25 mm Hg or more, pulmonary artery wedge pressure of 15 mm Hg or more, and left ventricular ejection fraction of 45% or more. Pulmonary hypertension severity was quantified by the hemodynamic parameters transpulmonary gradient, pulmonary vascular resistance, and diastolic pulmonary gradient.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was time to all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were time to acute hospitalization and cardiovascular hospitalization.

Results

The mean (SD) of all study individuals was 65 (38) years. Of 10 023 individuals, 2587 (25.8%) had PH-HFpEF. Mortality was 23.6% at 1 year and 48.2% at 5 years. Cardiac hospitalizations occurred in 28.1% at 1 year and 47.4% at 5 years. The frequency of precapillary PH using clinically defined cut-offs for transpulmonary gradient (>12 mm Hg), pulmonary vascular resistance (3 Woods units), and diastolic pulmonary gradient (≥7 mm Hg) were 12.6%, 8.8%, and 3.5%, respectively. Transpulmonary gradient, pulmonary vascular resistance, and diastolic pressure gradient were predictive of mortality and cardiac hospitalizations.

Conclusions and Relevance

In a large cohort referred for invasive hemodynamic assessment, PH-HFpEF was common. Transpulmonary gradient, pulmonary vascular resistance, and diastolic pulmonary gradient are all associated with mortality and cardiac hospitalizations.

Angiogenic and inflammatory biomarkers in the differentiation of pulmonary hypertension

OBJECTIVES

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious condition where diagnosis often is delayed due to unspecific symptoms. New methods to diagnose and differentiate PH earlier would therefore be of great value. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the relationship between circulating angiogenic and inflammatory biomarkers and various hemodynamic variables in relation to different causes of PH.

DESIGN

Plasma samples from 63 patients at diagnosis were extracted from Lund Cardio Pulmonary Register, separated into pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, n = 22), chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH, n = 15) and left heart disease (LHD) with (n = 21) and without (n = 5) PH. Blood samples from eight control subjects devoid of PH were additionally evaluated. Plasma concentrations of angiogenic (PlGF, Tie2, VEGF-A, VEGF-D, bFGF, sFlt-1) and inflammatory (IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α) biomarkers were analysed and related to hemodynamic variables.

RESULTS

SFlt-1 (p < .004) and VEGF-A (p < .035) were higher in all PH groups compared to controls. TNF-α (p < .030) were elevated in PAH patients in relation to the other PH groups as well as controls. Likewise, plasma VEGF-D (p < .008) were elevated in LHD with PH compared to the other groups with PH and controls. In PAH, higher sFlt-1 concentrations correlated to a worse state of hemodynamics.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that sFlt-1 and VEGF-A may be future tools when discriminating PH from non-PH. Moreover, TNF-α may differentiate PAH and VEGF- D may differentiate LHD with PH, from the other groups with PH, as well as controls. SFlt-1 may furthermore play a role as a future marker of disease severity.

Mechanism of Progressive Heart Failure and Significance of Pulmonary Hypertension in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND

There are limited data on the prevalence, pathophysiology, and management implications of pulmonary hypertension in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and advanced heart failure.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To assess the clinical significance of measured cardiopulmonary hemodynamics in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients with heart failure, we retrospectively assessed right heart catheterization data in 162 consecutive patients with outflow tract gradients (median [interquartile range], 90 mm Hg [70-110 mm Hg]), 59±11 years old, and 49% men, predominately New York Heart Association class III/IV status. Pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary artery pressure, ≥25 mm Hg) was present in 82 patients (51%), including 29 (18%) regarded as moderate-severe (mean pulmonary artery pressure, ≥35 mm Hg) and 28 (34%) also had increased pulmonary vascular resistance >3.0 WU. The pulmonary artery wedge pressure was ≤15 mm Hg in 54%, indicating that left atrial hypertension was absent in a majority of patients. Notably, 9 patients (11%) met hemodynamic criteria for precapillary pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary artery pressure, ≥25 mm Hg; pulmonary vascular resistance, >3.0 WU; pulmonary artery wedge pressure, ≤15 mm Hg). Over a median follow-up of 327 days (90-743 days) after surgical myectomy (or alcohol septal ablation), 92% and 95% of patients with or without preoperative pulmonary hypertension, respectively, were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. One postoperative death occurred in a 59-year-old woman with acute respiratory failure and mean pulmonary artery pressure of 65 mm Hg.

CONCLUSIONS

Pulmonary hypertension was common in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients with advanced heart failure. Although possibly a contributor to preoperative heart failure, pulmonary hypertension did not significantly influence clinical and surgical outcome. Notably, a novel patient subgroup was identified with resting invasive hemodynamics consistent with pulmonary vascular disease.