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Pulmonary Hypertension

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Abstract

The right ventricular-pulmonary vascular unit is a low resistance, high compliance system that is normally capable of accommodating large increases in blood flow with a minimal increment in pressure. The development of chronically elevated pulmonary arterial pressures, either in unselected populations or in individuals with a variety of cardiopulmonary diseases, is increasingly recognized to be associated with a markedly increased risk of mortality. Regardless of the etiology, pulmonary hypertension leads to right ventricular dysfunction that is closely associated with impaired exercise capacity, renal and hepatic dysfunction. This chapter will briefly review the epidemiology and pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in addition to current diagnostic and treatment approaches with particular emphasis on PH arising in the setting of other cardiovascular diseases.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Jonathan Clark, MD for his work on the previous edition of this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Anne M. van Beuningen & Gregory D. Lewis

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  1. Anne M. van Beuningen
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  2. Gregory D. Lewis
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Correspondence to Gregory D. Lewis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Hanna K. Gaggin

  2. Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    James L. Januzzi Jr.

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van Beuningen, A.M., Lewis, G.D. (2021). Pulmonary Hypertension. In: Gaggin, H.K., Januzzi Jr., J.L. (eds) MGH Cardiology Board Review. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45792-1_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45792-1_12

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-45792-1

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