Pulmonary Vascular Disease

Conditions We Treat

• Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and right heart failure (RHF), where high blood pressure in the lungs causes the right side of the heart to become enlarged and function poorly. Symptoms for this life-threatening condition include shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest pain.
• Pulmonary embolism (PE), where a blood clot forms in the legs or somewhere else in the body and travels to the lungs, potentially blocking the flow of blood to the rest of the body. Our multidisciplinary Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) provides expert care while you are in the hospital and when you come back to see us in clinic. PERT is composed of pulmonary and critical care specialists, cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, interventional radiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, pharmacists, and an outpatient clinic provider.
• Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a type of pulmonary hypertension that can develop after a pulmonary embolism. Most common symptoms are difficulty breathing, chest pain, dizziness, and heart palpitations.  

What to Expect

It can be difficult to live with pulmonary hypertension and complications from pulmonary embolism. But no matter where you are on your patient journey, we strive to help you breathe easier. We work with you the whole way to improve your quality of life and reduce your suffering.

Referral from Your Physician

It can be difficult to diagnose PH because its symptoms are often found in other diseases. Your doctor can determine if a referral to our PH clinic is needed. Talk to your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:

Sudden chest pain and trouble breathing may be signs of a life-threatening issue — consider visiting the emergency department right away.

Advanced Diagnostics

Since PH and PE often require long-term treatment and many diseases can mimic their symptoms, our priority is making a precise diagnosis and estimating the severity of the disease. Using sophisticated imaging studies, we can make a timely diagnosis and determine the best treatment for you. These studies may include:

• Comprehensive panel of laboratory tests
• Detailed lung function testing
• Chest CT scanning
• Duplex ultrasound
• High accuracy echocardiography
• Ventilation-perfusion scan (V/Q scan)
• Right heart catheterization

Personalized Treatment

We offer a wide range of safe and effective treatment options. Our experts individualize each treatment based on the type of disease, its severity, and consequent health limitations. We closely monitor your symptoms, consider your well-being, and ensure you have a proper understanding of your disease and your treatment options.  

Pulmonary vascular disease care usually involves one or more of the following treatment options:

• Oral medications (pulmonary vasodilators, diuretics, anticoagulants)
• Inhaled medications (bronchodilators, pulmonary vasodilators)
• Injections through a vein (intravenous)
• Injections under the skin (subcutaneous)

We support you throughout treatment with access to any specialist you need. Heart disease specialists, lung and heart surgeons, counselors, nutrition experts and more are available for your comprehensive managed care.

At the Hospital

For some cases, specialists in our hospital will provide dedicated pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary embolism care. They’ll help you understand specialized tests for diagnosis (like right heart catheterization or pulmonary thrombectomy) as well as advanced treatment options available. In rare or advanced cases of PH or CTEPH, options such as lung transplant, heart transplant, and pulmonary endarterectomy (blood clot removal) are available.

Support Resources

We’re here to support you as you learn how to cope with and manage your Pulmonary Vascular Disease. We’ll help you understand the support resources available to you, which have helped many of our patients live life to the fullest.

• You’ll receive a PH journal with important information about the disease and how you can participate in your care.
• You can request a free information kit from the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA). The kit helps people recently diagnosed with PH figure out their next steps.
• The PHA also offers a number of informative online resources for PH patients. Through PHA’s support contact resources, you can speak to other PH patients and caregiver mentors to ask questions, get tips, and discuss the challenges of living with PH.
• The PERT Consortium offers multiple resources for patients with pulmonary embolism and its complications.

Take the Next Step

If you think you may have pulmonary hypertension, CTEPH, or pulmonary embolism, talk to your doctor to see if a referral to our PH or PERT clinics is needed. If it is, you can count on us to help you live your healthiest, happiest life.

If you’ve been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, CTEPH, or pulmonary embolism, make an appointment with us.