Measuring right side heart function
Diagnostic
For patients with heart failure, having pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the lungs, is linked to poorer outcomes and lower quality of life.
This project aimed to increase understanding of blood flow in the lungs for people with heart failure, with the hopes of finding potential new avenues for treatment.
The team theorised that heart failure patients with pulmonary hypertension would experience back flow of blood which would put pressure on the right side of the heart. Using a technique called wave intensity analysis, the team were able to confirm this theory.
These patients do experience backflows of blood back into the heart, which places additional strain on the right side of the heart, potentially accounting for why these patients appear to decline so much more rapidly than other heart failure patients. On this basis, the team then explored two potential treatment options.
The drug trialled had no significant impact on the backflow of blood, but the fitting of a left ventricle assist device (LVAD) did seem to improve backflow in the majority of patients.
This new understanding of pulmonary hypertension in heart failure provides potential new routes for treatment, with the goal to slow down the deterioration these patients face.
This study has been successfully published in a high-profile journal. There are no current submissions for future funding.
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