Treating Pulmonary Hypertension
Goals:
- Lower Pulmonary Artery pressure (PAP)
- Prolong survival
- Improve quality of life
- Reduce symptoms
- Improve ability to be active/exercise
- Provide opportunity to participate in life
- Minimize side effects
- Avoid bankrupting the patient
Treatments:
- Flolan (epoprostenol)
- Remoduli (treprostinil)**
- Tracleer (bosentan)**
- Revatio (Viagra/Sildenafil Citrate)
- Calcium Channel Blockers (CCB’s)
- Warfarin (coumadin)
- Lasix (diuretics)
- Thelin
- Digoxin
- Oxygen
In trials
- Sitaxsentan (Thelin)
- Tadalafil (Cialis)
- Ambrisentan
- Beraprost sodium
- Nitric Oxide – trials with PPHN infants,
- Iloprost (Ventavis) basically inhaled Flolan
Combination therapy being used now:
- Epoprostenol with bosentan and/or sildenafil**
- Remodulin with bosentan and/or sildenafil**
- Bosentan with sildenalfil**
**very costly anywhere from $5,000 to over $100,000 a year for approved PAH treatments
- very important for patient to see Pulmonary Hypertension specialist
- Only 2 adult PH specialists in BC
- Only 1 children PH specialist in BC
- Vancouver PH Clinic treats adults with PAH from all over BC
- All PAH children go to Children’s Hospital in Vancouver BC
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