Vasodilator Can Treat Severe Pulmonary Hypertension

German researchers have demonstrated that the vasodilator sildenafil (Viagra, Pfizer) could be a new treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. The study was published in the April 2003 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The researchers studied 12 inoperable patients who suffered from severe pulmonary hypertension, and found that long-term treatment with sildenafil over 6-12 months was marked by improved hemodynamics and exercise capacity. All relevant factors for these patients improved significantly. These factors included pulmonary artery pressure, the pulmonary vascular resistance index, the cardiac index, central venous pressure, and six-minute walk distance.

Prior to the trial, all patients had complained of deterioration in their clinical status despite the use of controlled long-term anticoagulation therapy. Also, they had risk factors predictive of poor survival and rapid disease progression. No sildenafil-related side effects were reported by the patients. The study was conducted by researchers at Justus Liebig University (Giessen, Germany).




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