Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is the result of the body's inability to clear blood clots from the lungs resulting in narrowed and occluded lung blood vessels. This increases blood pressure in the lungs which causes symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, and leg swelling. The high pressure in the lung ultimately leads to right sided heart failure and can cause death.
Our approach
M Health Fairview employs a multidisciplinary approach to identify and treat chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Our dedicated team consists of pulmonary hypertension trained cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, interventional cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, radiologists, and intensive care physicians that work together to accurately diagnose and treat this rare disease. This team brings a unique combination of skill sets that allows us to deliver the most cutting-edge and efficacious treatments.
An extensive evaluation is first performed to both diagnose the disease and define its severity. The initial work up includes multimodality imaging with the use of ventilation/perfusion lung scan, transthoracic echocardiogram, and computed tomography angiogram of the pulmonary arteries. Additional testing may include exercise evaluations in the form of a 6-minute walk test, pulmonary function tests, hemodynamic study, blood work to identify possible clotting disorders, and an invasive pulmonary angiogram.
The treatment approaches we provide are state-of-the-art and they include medications, percutaneous balloon pulmonary angioplasty, pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, and lung transplantation. Our team works with each patient to identify the best therapy or combination of treatments to improve quality of life and survival. Our dedicated approach ensures each patient’s care is optimized for their individual goals.
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