Continuous Intravenous Infusion Of Epoprostenol Research Articles

Traitement de l’hypertension artérielle pulmonaire

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) must be referred to expert centers (reference center and competences centers in the French PAH network). Despite progresses in the knowledge of PAH pathophysiology, it is still a devastating disease needing an aggressive approach of therapy to improve long-term outcomes. The target of current therapies is endothelial dysfunction of pulmonary arteries. Continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol remains the only recommended therapy for the most severe patients with PAH. If treatment goals are not met, a sequential combination therapy is recommended (i.e. combination of drugs targeting different dysfunctional pathways). Lung transplantation remains the only curative treatment of PAH.

The experiences of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol (Flolan) and their support persons

Objective Little is known about the day-to-day experiences of patients and their support persons during the course of epoprostenol treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The study objective was to describe the experiences of patients and their support persons adjusting to PAH and continuous intravenous epoprostenol. Methods A qualitative descriptive design with semistructured interviews was conducted jointly with the patient and his/her support person. Seven patients and their support persons (spouse, child, friend) were included. Results Patients demonstrated personal growth and resilience as they adapted to PAH. Four patient themes emerged: initial shock, figuring it out, giving life, and ongoing struggles. Themes specific to the support person included “their life is in my hands,” pressure to perform, and continuation of my role. Conclusion Nurses may assist these patients and support persons by teaching technical skills, problem-solving and troubleshooting strategies, mobilizing social support, and providing opportunities to reflect on lifestyle changes and long-term adjustment to PAH.

Pharmacologic treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been a disease with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. This article reviews the recent advances that took place in the medical management of PAH. Sildenafil is a type 5 cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor originally developed to treat erectile dysfunction. Multiple uncontrolled and randomized controlled trials have proven that it is useful in the treatment of PAH and it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The switch from continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol to subcutaneous infusion of treprostinil has been proven feasible and safe. Bosentan has been shown effective as a monotherapy and it also improves survival in patients with functional classes III and IV. In smaller clinical trials bosentan has improved symptoms in different forms of PAH. Combinations of drugs of different classes such as prostanoids, endothelin receptor blockers and sildenafil are tested, and such a strategy improves both symptoms and survival. Animal models and anecdotal clinical experience suggest the possibility of using imatinib mesylate in PAH. With the approval of sildenafil, treatment options for this difficult disease have improved significantly. Combinations of drugs of different groups are promising and need further exploration.

Risk of Alveolar Hemorrhage in Patients With Primary Pulmonary Hypertension-Anticoagulation and Epoprostenol Therapy-

Anticoagulation therapy and continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol are the standard treatment for primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). Because epoprostenol has an antiplatelet effect, concomitant use of an anticoagulant could increase the likelihood of hemorrhagic complications. In the present study, 31 consecutive patients with PPH (10 men, 21 women, mean +/- SD age, 28.5+/-10.1 years) treated with anticoagulation and epoprostenol between April 1999 and December 2003 were retrospectively evaluated. Clinical and hematological data at the time of the bleeding episode were retrieved from the medical records. Nine patients (22.6%) experienced 11 bleeding episodes: 9 episodes (81.8%) were alveolar hemorrhage and 2 patients were in severe respiratory distress. The mean dose of epoprostenol at the time of the first bleeding episode was 89.0 +/-40.5 ng.kg(-1).min(-1) (range, 28.1-164.0). More of the patients who did not have a bleeding episode remain alive than did patients with bleeding episodes (59% vs 33%) nor did they require lung transplantation. A considerable number of patients with PPH who received combined anticoagulant and high-dose epoprostenol therapy developed alveolar hemorrhage, which can be fatal.

Drug therapy of primary pulmonary hypertension.

Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a rare but life-threatening disease. Median survival, from the time of diagnosis, is considered to be 2.8 years. However, therapeutic medical advances over the past 2 decades have resulted in significant improvements in quality of life and survival in patients with PPH. Because pulmonary vasoconstriction, endothelial cell proliferation, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and in situ thrombosis contribute to the development of this disease, treatment with vasodilators, anti-proliferative agents, and anticoagulants is recommended.Currently, oral administration of calcium channel antagonists and intravenous infusion of epoprostenol (prostacyclin) are established as treatment of PPH. Epoprostenol has vasoprotective effects including vasodilation, anti-platelet aggregation, and inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation. Interestingly, prostacyclin synthase deficiency in the lungs, and impaired prostacyclin production, have been linked to the development of pulmonary hypertension in this disease. As a result, continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol has become recognized as a therapeutic breakthrough that can improve hemodynamics and survival in patients with PPH. The dramatic success of long-term intravenous prostacyclin is now leading to the development of epoprostenol analogs using newer drug delivery systems (oral beraprost, aerosolized iloprost, and subcutaneous treprostinil). In addition, promising drugs including endothelin antagonists and type V phosphodiesterase inhibitors have recently been developed. Furthermore, gene therapy with endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene or prostacyclin synthase gene may hold great promise in the treatment of PPH. Finally, accurate evaluation of disease severity and the efficacy of vasodilator therapy are important in the management of patients with PPH. In addition to invasive assessment by cardiac catheterization, we recommend repeated measurements of plasma brain natriuretic peptide, serum uric acid, and the distance walked in 6 minutes. These noninvasive parameters may be helpful as part of the evaluation of treatment in patients with PPH and, in particular, as a guide to the selection and timing for alternative therapies.

Overview of treprostinil sodium for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a life-threatening disorder that refers to a group of diseases characterized by an abnormal elevation of the blood pressure within the pulmonary circulation due to a vasculopathy of the pulmonary microcirculation (1). If left untreated, the overall prognosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension is poor, with a 5-year survival rate of 34%. The most common cause of death is progressive right-sided heart failure (2). There is no pharmacologic cure for pulmonary arterial hypertension, and a team approach is required for the proper care of these patients (3). Treatment is directed at improving clinical symptoms, increasing exercise tolerance and extending survival. Until just a few years ago, standard treatment options for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension were limited and included coumarin derivatives, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, digoxin and oxygen supplementation (4). In the last decade, the therapeutic options for pulmonary arterial hypertension have made considerable advances. In at least three major randomized controlled trials, the continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol, a synthetic salt of prostacyclin with potent vasodilatory ability, has been shown to improve exercise tolerance, hemodynamics, survival and quality of life in patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classes III and IV with either primary pulmonary hypertension or pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with scleroderma (5-9). Epoprostenol has now become a mainstay therapy in the long-term treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension or pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with scleroderma. Nevertheless, epoprostenol is far from an ideal form of therapy. Issues such as the short half-life of the drug, need for continuous central intravenous access and significant side effects have led to the development of more stable prostacyclin analogues as alternative therapies for primary pulmonary hypertension. These alternative therapies include iloprost (inhaled delivery) and treprostinil (subcutaneous delivery). As a result, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with NYHA classes II-IV. This review will offer a discussion of the basic pharmacology of treprostinil, its similarities to and differences from epoprostenol, the animal studies as well as the initial investigational studies leading to its FDA approval, and clinical uses of the drug alone or in combination with newer therapies directed at pulmonary arterial hypertension developed over the last decade.

Emerging medical therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Until a few years ago, “conventional” treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) included oral anticoagulants, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, digoxin, and oxygen. In the 1990s, 3 randomized studies demonstrated that the continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol improved functional capacity, cardiopulmonary hemodynamics, and survival in patients with severe PAH. Recently, the thromboxane inhibitor terbogrel, the prostacyclin analogues treprostinil, beraprost, and iloprost, and the endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan have been tested in clinical trials in more than 1,100 patients. Except for terbogrel, all compounds have improved by different degrees the mean exercise capacity as assessed by 6 minutes walking distance. Conversely, these trials differ for the severity and etiology of included PAH patients as well as for the effects on combined clinical events, on quality of life, and on hemodynamics. No trials have shown effects on mortality, and each new compound presents different side effects that seem unpredictable in the individual patient. At present, additional new compounds such as sitaxentan, ambisentan, L-arginine, and sildenafil are studied in clinical trials. The new therapeutic options are currently in different phases of approval by regulatory agencies, and when they will become available we will have the opportunity to select the most appropriate treatment for the single patient, according to an individualized benefit-to-risk ratio. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Rupture and dissection in pulmonary artery aneurysms: Incidence, cause, and treatment—Review and case report

continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol (prostacyclin) for 4 years, with the dosage increasing to 16 ng · kg–1 · min–1. Seven months previously, she underwent a right heart catheterization that revealed a pulmonary–systemic arterial pressure ratio (Pp/Ps) of 0.53. The electrocardiogram showed right ventricular hypertrophy. A posteroanterior chest x-ray film showed a left hilar mass indicating dilation of the left pulmonary artery. The patient was discharged without any further investigations because the physical examination disclosed no abnormalities. The next day, the patient was readmitted to the hospital because of worsening symptoms. The transthoracic echocardiogram revealed an enlarged main pulmonary artery with a diameter of 8 cm, a competent pulmonary valve, and massive pericardial effusion but failed to demonstrate pulmonary artery dissection. A computed tomogram confirmed dissection of the main pulmonary artery (Fig 1, A). She was transferred to the operating theater with signs of imminent cardiac tamponade and shock. Suprasystemic pulmonary pressures (systolic 120 mm Hg) were noted after induction of anesthesia with a Pp/Ps of 1.9. Surgical technique. Femoro-femoral bypass was established urgently followed by sternotomy and pericardiotomy, which revealed massive bloody pericardial effusion. At a blood temperature of 32°C with the heart beating, the pulmonary Since the first report of dissecting aneurysm of the pulmonary artery by Walshe in 1862 (cited by Watson1), 48 cases of pulmonary artery dissection have been reported.2-4 Dissection mostly develops in a pulmonary artery aneurysm associated with pulmonary hypertension and/or connective tissue disease. Forty-three cases were reported after death, whereas only 5 were diagnosed clinically, indicating that the event is highly lethal. In this report, we describe the surgical repair of dissection of an aneurysm in the main pulmonary artery resulting from primary pulmonary hypertension. Clinical summary. A 34-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room with chest pain and shortness of breath. She had primary pulmonary hypertension for 10 years and had been receiving long-term therapy with coumarin and a RUPTURE AND DISSECTION IN PULMONARY ARTERY ANEURYSMS: INCIDENCE, CAUSE, AND TREATMENT—REVIEW AND CASE REPORT

CONTINUOUS INTRAVENOUS INFUSION OF EPOPROSTENOL FOR THE TREATMENT OF PORTOPULMONARY HYPERTENSION1

The association of pulmonary hypertension with portal hypertension, also called portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN), is a known complication of chronic liver disease. Previously, the presence of PPHTN was considered to be a contraindication to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Although there are selected case reports of successful OLT in the setting of PPHTN, an excessive mortality rate is associated with OLT and PPHTN. Heretofore, therapy for chronic management of PPHTN was lacking. Recently, continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol has been demonstrated to improve symptomatology and survival in the general population of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. We now report the use of epoprostenol in the more specific instance of PPHTN. Over a period of 6-14 months, epoprostenol (10-28 ng/kg/min) therapy was associated with a 29-46% decrease in mean pulmonary artery pressure, a 22-71% decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance, and a 25-75% increase in cardiac output in a group of four patients. These results suggest that effective chronic therapy for PPHTN is available. In conjunction with inhaled nitric oxide as acute intraoperative therapy, epoprostenol infusion represents an additional therapeutic option for treatment of PPHTN in the liver transplant candidate.

A Comparison of Continuous Intravenous Epoprostenol (Prostacyclin) with Conventional Therapy for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension

Primary pulmonary hypertension is a progressive disease for which no treatment has been shown in a prospective, randomized trial to improve survival. We conducted a 12-week prospective, randomized, multicenter open trial comparing the effects of the continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol (formerly called prostacyclin) plus conventional therapy with those of conventional therapy alone in 81 patients with severe primary pulmonary hypertension (New York Heart Association functional class III or IV). Exercise capacity was improved in the 41 patients treated with epoprostenol (median distance walked in six minutes, 362 m at 12 weeks vs. 315 m at base line), but it decreased in the 40 patients treated with conventional therapy alone (204 m at 12 weeks vs. 270 m at base line; P < 0.002 for the comparison of the treatment groups). Indexes of the quality of life were improved only in the epoprostenol group (P < 0.01). Hemodynamics improved at 12 weeks in the epoprostenol-treated patients. The changes in mean pulmonary-artery pressure for the epoprostenol and control groups were -8 percent and +3 percent, respectively (difference in mean change, -6.7 mm Hg; 95 percent confidence interval, -10.7 to -2.6 mm Hg; P < 0.002), and the mean changes in pulmonary vascular resistance for the epoprostenol and control groups were -21 percent and +9 percent, respectively (difference in mean change, -4.9 mm Hg/liter/min; 95 percent confidence interval, -7.6 to -2.3 mm Hg/liter/min; P < 0.001). Eight patients died during the study, all of whom had been randomly assigned to conventional therapy (P = 0.003). Serious complications included four episodes of catheter-related sepsis and one thrombotic event. As compared with conventional therapy, the continuous intravenous infusion of epoprostenol produced symptomatic and hemodynamic improvement, as well as improved survival in patients with severe primary pulmonary hypertension.