Efficacy and Safety of Bronchial Artery Embolization on Hemoptysis in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES: Managing hemoptysis in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension can be challenging due to the difficulties in maintaining coagulation homeostasis in affected patients. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of bronchial artery embolization in treating hemoptysis in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients. DESIGN: Pilot, prospective cohort study. SETTING: A large respiratory medical institute. PATIENTS: From January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, hospitalized chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients were eligible for inclusion. Patients with pulmonary hypertension caused by other conditions, or who failed to participate in the follow-up were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: Hemoptysis in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients was treated with or without bronchial artery embolization based on whether the bleeding could be stopped with medication alone and patient willingness for bronchial artery embolization treatment. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 328 patients diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension were consecutively collected, 317 patients were completed the follow-up. There were 15 chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients with hemoptysis in total, and the occurrence rate of hemoptysis in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients was 4.7%. Among the hemoptysis chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients, 10 (67%) underwent bronchial artery embolization, and five (33%) were treated with medication only. The median follow-up period for hemoptysis patients was 7.6 months. In patients underwent bronchial artery embolization treatment, oxygenation index and right heart function showed no significant difference between pre bronchial artery embolization and post bronchial artery embolization. Hemoptysis relapse (20% vs 80%; p = 0.025) and hemoptysis-related mortality (0% vs 40%; p = 0.032) were significantly lower, whereas the overall survival (90% vs 40%; p = 0.040) was higher in patients treated with bronchial artery embolization than in patients treated without bronchial artery embolization. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchial artery embolization procedure demonstrated effectiveness and safety to treat hemoptysis in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients at our center, but further controlled studies are needed before it can be considered as an effective therapy for these patients.