Cardiothoracic Disease

Endothelin Receptor Antagonists in Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a lifethreatening disease characterized by progressive increase in pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, leading to right ventricular failure and death.

Parenteral Therapy in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
In 1991 D’Alonzo and colleagues described the bleak prognosis of patients with idiopathic (then called ‘primary’) pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).

Cardiovascular Manifestations in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is defined as cessation of air flow at the nose and mouth for 10 seconds or longer during sleep.

Selected Reading

• Oral sildenafil as long-term adjunct therapy to inhaled iloprost in severe pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Combination therapy with oral sildenafil and inhaled iloprost for severe pulmonary hypertension
• Bosentan improves exercise tolerance and Tei index in patients with pulmonary hypertension and prostanoid therapy
• First experience with an oral combination therapy using bosentan and sildenafil for pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Intravenous iloprost for treatment failure of aerosolised iloprost in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Selected Reading

• Sildenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor, in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension
• Oral sildenafil as long-term adjunct therapy to inhaled iloprost in severe pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Sildenafil versus Endothelin Receptor Antagonist for Pulmonary Hypertension (SERAPH) study
• Combination therapy with bosentan and sildenafil in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Sildenafil citrate therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Selected Reading

• The NO - K+ channel axis in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Activation by experimental oral therapies
• Dichloroacetate prevents and reverses pulmonary hypertension by inducing pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell apoptosis
• Long-term treatment with oral sildenafil is safe and improves functional capacity and hemodynamics in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Simvastatin inhibits cigarette smoking-induced emphysema and pulmonary hypertension in rat lungs
• Simvastatin rescues rats from fatal pulmonary hypertension by inducing apoptosis of neointimal smooth muscle cells