Intravenous treprostinil via an implantable pump in pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abstract

Intravenous prostacyclin-based therapy improves survival in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but is typically administered via an external infusion pump, which places a considerable burden on the patient. Implanted pumps may overcome some of the limitations of external pumps. We describe the first long-term use of an implanted pump for intravenous treprostinil delivery in a pediatric patient with PAH. Our patient was experiencing marked dyspnea on exertion despite triple combination therapy with bosentan, sildenafil, and inhaled iloprost. Parenteral prostacyclin-based therapy was discussed and the patient rejected options involving external pumps; she finally chose intravenous treprostinil delivery via an implanted pump (LENUS Pro®; fixed flow rate; 20 ml reservoir). The patient underwent pump implantation in July 2012 (aged 14 years) under general anesthesia with no peri- or postoperative complications. She showed marked improvements in fatigue and dyspnea over the subsequent weeks, and her inhaled iloprost regimen was slowly decreased and stopped after six months. During follow-up, the pump showed an unexpected, progressive increase in flow rate that allowed a treprostinil dose of 170 ng/kg/min to be achieved, but at the cost of shortened intervals between refills. The pump was therefore replaced in August 2017 with a newer model with an adjustable flow rate (Siromedes®). A catheter dislocation was corrected under local anesthesia one week after the replacement surgery. The patient is currently receiving treprostinil 170 ng/kg/min with percutaneous refills every 12–13 days. Thus, implantable pumps might be a valuable alternative to external pumps for treprostinil infusion in pediatric PAH.