A new cardiac measurement obtained by wireless sensors in the pulmonary arteries could provide significant value for heart failure patients, according to a new analysis published in Heart, Lung and Circulation.
This new measurement—pulmonary artery proportional pulse pressure (PAPP)—can be used to identify patients facing an especially high risk of hospitalization or death from systolic heart failure or pulmonary hypertension.
“We found that PAPP is a very good measure of how stiff or compliant the pulmonary arteries are,” lead author Sula Mazimba, MD, MPH, a heart failure specialist at UVA Health in Charlottesville, Virginia, said in a statement. “The stiffness of the pulmonary arteries determines how much resistance the right side of the heart has overcome to pump blood effectively to the lungs. The importance of this simple measure is that it can identify patients that are at greatest risk of dying or being hospitalized. This allows us to tailor more aggressive treatments.”
The team’s research included 550 patients with a median PAPP value of 0.583. Patients with a PAPP value higher than 0.583 had a higher risk of hospitalization from heart failure; providing them with a pulmonary artery pressure monitor was associated with a “significant 46% reduction in annualized risk of death.”
“Having tools that signal when the right side of the heart is under strain may aid clinicians to adopt timely tailored treatments for heart-failure patients,” Mazimba added.
Read the full study here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.