Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs that can lead to heart failure.
It is a rare lung disorder affecting only the pulmonary arteries, which carry blood from your heart to your lungs to pick up oxygen.
PH occurs when the lung’s tiny arteries narrow or become blocked. To keep blood flowing through the narrowed vessels, pressure increases in the arteries.
PH affect on the heart
As the pressure builds in the pulmonary arteries, the heart must work harder to pump blood through the arteries and into the lungs.
This strains the right ventricle of the heart, causing it to expand in size.
Overworked and enlarged, the heart weakens and eventually fails.
A comprehensive PH program
The UPMC Comprehensive Pulmonary Hypertension Program is one of the largest of its kind in the United States, offering patients full access to:
- state-of-the-art diagnostics
- innovative treatments
- opportunities to participate in cutting-edge clinical research
What distinguishes our program?
- Our integrated approach — specialists in cardiology, pulmonary and critical care medicine, and transplant medicine work together from the time of initial evaluation, which can normally take place on a single day and in one location.
- Our experience — for severe cases of PH requiring a lung or heart-lung transplant, UPMC offers unparalleled expertise as one of the world’s largest lung and heart-lung transplantation centers.
Visit UPMC's Comprehensive Lung Center website for more information about the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension.
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