The prognostic impact of exercise right heart catheterization in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension on transplant-free survival

Background: Pulmonary vascular diseases primary manifest with impaired exercise tolerance. We hypothesized that exercise pulmonary hemodynamics would predict outcome in arterial and inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (PAH, CTEPH). Methods: Right heart catheterizations from PAH and CTEPH with hemodynamic assessment during supine step-wise cycle exercise (10 Watt/3 min) were analyzed. Patients were closely followed and time of death or transplantation noted. Transplant-free survival and predictive value of hemodynamics were assessed by Cox regression and Kaplan Meier analysis. Results: 70 pat…