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Prostanoid therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension

David B. Badesch, MD^*,*, Vallerie V. McLaughlin, MD, Marion Delcroix, MD, CarmineDario Vizza, MD, Horst Olschewski, MD^||, Olivier Sitbon, MD^¶ and Robyn J. Barst, MD

^* University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, USA
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
University of Roma "La Sapienza," Rome, Italy
^|| University Hospital, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
^¶ Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Clamart, France
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA

View larger version (15K): [in a new window]   Figure 1 McLauglin et al. (7) reported 162 consecutive patients diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension and treated with epoprostenol who were followed for a mean of 36.3 months (median, 31 months). Observed survival (diamonds) with epoprostenol therapy at one, two, and three years was 87.8%, 76.3%, and 62.8%, respectively, and was significantly greater than the expected survival (squares) of 58.9%, 46.3%, and 35.4%, respectively, based on historical data. Baseline predictors of survival included exercise tolerance, functional class, right atrial pressure, and vasodilator response to adenosine. Predictors of survival after the first year of therapy included functional class and improvement in exercise tolerance, cardiac index, and mean pulmonary artery pressure. Reprinted with permission from Circulation (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins).