Pulmonary circulation
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Pulmonary circulation · Oct 2012
Safety and feasibility of obtaining wedged pulmonary artery samples and differential distribution of biomarkers in pulmonary hypertension.
This study aims to evaluate the safety and feasibility of obtaining wedged pulmonary artery (PA) samples and investigate the differential vascular beds' distribution of select inflammatory and cellular adhesion molecules that are implicated in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) pathogenesis. This is a cross-sectional study of adult patients. Serum samples were simultaneously drawn from three different vascular sites during right heart catheterization as part of PAH evaluation: The superior vena cava, distal pulmonary artery prior to wedging, and distal pulmonary artery after (and distal to) wedging. ⋯ Compared to the healthy external controls, sVCAM-1 levels were higher in the study group. Obtaining wedged PA blood samples is safe and feasible in adult patients with pulmonary hypertension. There were no differences in the distribution of markers between the vascular beds within patients.