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Pulmonary arterial compliance: How and why should we measure it?

The pulmonary circulation is a high-flow/low-pressure system, coupled with a flow generator chamber–the right ventricle–, which is relatively unable to tolerate increases in afterload. A right heart catheterization, using a fluid-filled, balloon-tipped Swan-Ganz catheter allows the measurement of al...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ghio, Stefano, Schirinzi, Sandra, Pica, Silvia
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4710864/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26779530
http://dx.doi.org/10.5339/gcsp.2015.58
Descripción
Sumario:The pulmonary circulation is a high-flow/low-pressure system, coupled with a flow generator chamber–the right ventricle–, which is relatively unable to tolerate increases in afterload. A right heart catheterization, using a fluid-filled, balloon-tipped Swan-Ganz catheter allows the measurement of all hemodynamic parameters characterizing the pulmonary circulation: the inflow pressure, an acceptable estimate the outflow pressure, and the pulmonary blood flow. However, the study of the pulmonary circulation as a continuous flow system is an oversimplification and a thorough evaluation of the pulmonary circulation requires a correct understanding of the load that the pulmonary vascular bed imposes on the right ventricle, which includes static and dynamic components. This is critical to assess the prognosis of patients with pulmonary hypertension or with heart failure. Pulmonary compliance is a measure of arterial distensibility and, either alone or in combination with pulmonary vascular resistance, gives clinicians the possibility of a good prognostic stratification of patients with heart failure or with pulmonary hypertension. The measurement of pulmonary arterial compliance should be included in the routine clinical evaluation of such patients.