Objective::To investigate the correlation between maternal serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels and gestational duration in pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension (PH).Methods::The study included pregnant individuals with PH stemming from mitral valve stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation (post-capillary PH) or pulmonary arterial hypertension (pre-capillary PH) who were admitted to Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2020. In this retrospective cohort study, maternal serum NT-proBNP levels during pregnancy, along with other clinical data, were obtained from structured electronic medical records. These data included gestational age at delivery, echocardiographic parameters, laboratory findings, gestational duration, delivery mode, and other relevant clinical variables. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between NT-proBNP levels and gestational duration. Adjustments were made for potential confounding factors, and curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were employed to identify tangent points. Furthermore, stratified analyses were performed based on tricuspid regurgitation velocity, maternal age, and parity.Results::A total of 64 patients with post-capillary PH and 74 patients with pre-capillary PH were included in this study. Among patients with post-capillary PH, the results of multivariate regression analysis indicated a significant association between maternal NT-proBNP levels and gestational duration (β = -0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.05 to 0.00, P = 0.02). The fitted curve demonstrated a negative correlation between maternal NT-proBNP levels and gestational duration, with a significant break point at 379.9 ng/L ( P < 0.05). In the post-capillary PH group, the stratified analysis revealed a regression coefficient of -0.05 (95% CI:-0.06 to -0.04, P = 0.001) in patients with a tricuspid regurgitation velocity >340 mm/s. For patients >35 years old, the regression coefficient was -0.03 (95% CI -0.06 to -0.01, P = 0.02). In multiparous women, the regression coefficient was -0.03 (95% CI-0.06 to 0.00, P = 0.03). Conclusion::In pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension, maternal NT-proBNP levels are associated with gestational duration, particularly with an increased risk of preterm labor.

Objective::To investigate the correlation between maternal serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels and gestational duration in pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension (PH).Methods::The study included pregnant individuals with PH stemming from mitral valve stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation (post-capillary PH) or pulmonary arterial hypertension (pre-capillary PH) who were admitted to Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2020. In this retrospective cohort study, maternal serum NT-proBNP levels during pregnancy, along with other clinical data, were obtained from structured electronic medical records. These data included gestational age at delivery, echocardiographic parameters, laboratory findings, gestational duration, delivery mode, and other relevant clinical variables. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between NT-proBNP levels and gestational duration. Adjustments were made for potential confounding factors, and curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were employed to identify tangent points. Furthermore, stratified analyses were performed based on tricuspid regurgitation velocity, maternal age, and parity.Results::A total of 64 patients with post-capillary PH and 74 patients with pre-capillary PH were included in this study. Among patients with post-capillary PH, the results of multivariate regression analysis indicated a significant association between maternal NT-proBNP levels and gestational duration (β = -0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.05 to 0.00, P = 0.02). The fitted curve demonstrated a negative correlation between maternal NT-proBNP levels and gestational duration, with a significant break point at 379.9 ng/L ( P < 0.05). In the post-capillary PH group, the stratified analysis revealed a regression coefficient of -0.05 (95% CI:-0.06 to -0.04, P = 0.001) in patients with a tricuspid regurgitation velocity >340 mm/s. For patients >35 years old, the regression coefficient was -0.03 (95% CI -0.06 to -0.01, P = 0.02). In multiparous women, the regression coefficient was -0.03 (95% CI-0.06 to 0.00, P = 0.03). Conclusion::In pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension, maternal NT-proBNP levels are associated with gestational duration, particularly with an increased risk of preterm labor.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of open cardiac operation and interventional therapy in pregnant patients and describe the feto-neonatal and maternal outcomes.Methods:A retrospective study of 39 cases of women undergoing open cardiac operation or interventional therapy during pregnancy was conducted in Guangdong Provincial People′s Hospital from Jan. 2014 to Oct. 2019.Results:The age of 39 pregnant women with gestational heart disease was (30±6) years old (21-43 years old). Among them, 37 cases were single and 2 cases were twin pregnancy. Modified World Health Organization (mWHO) pregnancy risk classification were all level Ⅳ. There were 22 women receiving cardiac operation under cardiopulmonary bypass during pregnancy, 14 patients undergoing percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty, 2 patients accepting percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty, and 1 case receiving atrial septal defect occluder with ultrasound guidance. Three were no maternal deaths during and after the operation. One patient had an inevitable abortion. Four fetuses died in the uterine after open cardiac surgery. There patients chose termination of the pregnancy after cardiac operation. There were 31 live birth, in which 7 cases were preterm live birth and 24 patients were term live birth. The total number of newborns were 33. Two fetuses suffered neonatal intracranial hemorrhage and died after birth. Thirty-one fetuses were alive and born without any abnormity.Conclusion:For pregnant women with high risk of cardiovascular disease and classified as mWHO pregnancy risk level Ⅳ, cardiopulmonary bypass and interventional therapy during pregnancy could be used as an alternative for better materal and fetal outcomes.

Objective: The growing body of literature showed a link between uric acid and pulmonary hypertension (PH), but the impact of hyperuremia on outcome of patients with PH has not been well defined. Therefore, the present study was performed to analyze the impact of uric acid on outcome of PH patients. Methods: One hundred seventy-three PH patients (112 females, mean age 38 years old), who were hospitalized in our department between January 2010 and December 2015, were included in our study, the PH diagnosis was made based on right heart catheterization examination result (mean pulmonary artery pressure≥25 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)). PH patients were divided into mild to moderate PH group (Rp/Rs≤0.6, n=97) and severe PH group (Rp/Rs>0.6, n=76). Fifty-one patients (33 females, mean age 45 years old) without PH based on right heart catheterization were included as control subjects. All participants were followed up for a median of 24 months(6-71 months). Clinical endpoints were defined as cardiogenic death or heart-and-lung transplantation. Results: Uric acid was positively correlated with pulmonary vascular resistance(r=0.398, P<0.01), systemic vascular resistance(r=0.244, P<0.01) and mean right atrial pressure (r=0.26, P<0.01), and was negatively correlated with cardiac index(r=-0.278, P<0.01)and mixed venous oxygen saturation (r=-0.322, P<0.01)in PH patients. Serum uric acid level was significantly higher in patients with severe PH than in patients with mild-to-moderate PH and the control subjects (both P<0.05). According to the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), 425.5 μmol/L was found to be the best cut-off value of serum uric acid level to predict the outcome of PH patients (sensitivity 50%, specificity 72%). During follow-up, patients with higher level of uric acid (>425.5 μmol/L) were linked with poorer clinical outcome compared to patients with uric acid <425.5 μmol/L(P=0.027). Conclusion Our findings suggests that uric acid is associated with the severity of PH and higher uric acid level serves as an important predictor for poor clinical outcome of PH patients.

BACKGROUNDWhile echocardiography has been a pivotal screening test in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the presence of structural cardiac defects may affect the ability to reliably predict pulmonary artery pressures (PAPs). This study sought to evaluate the accuracy of Doppler echocardiography (DE) for estimating PAPs in adult atrial septal defect (ASD) patients with PAH.

METHODSA prospective study was carried out to compare the echocardiographic assessment of PAP with the same pressures obtained by right heart catheterization (RHC) in adult ASD patients with PAH who underwent simultaneous DE and RHC. Bland-Altman analyses were performed to evaluate the agreement between DE and RHC measurements of PAPs.

RESULTSTwo hundred and fifty-seven patients were included in the study. A significant overestimation of the systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) was reported by echocardiography compared with those by catheterization ((81.8 ± 26.9) mmHg vs. (72.9 ± 26.9) mmHg, P < 0.01; (51.9 ± 16.4) mmHg vs. (41.4 ± 17.2) mmHg, P < 0.01, respectively). Twenty-one percent (55/257) of the patients had PAH when estimated by echocardiography whereas showed normal results in the subsequent catheterization test. Using Bland-Altman analytic methods, the bias for the echocardiographic assessment of the sPAP was 9.1 mmHg with 95% limits of agreement ranging from -24.4 to 42.6 mmHg. For mPAP measurement, the bias was 10.5 mmHg with 95% limits of agreement ranging from -12.4 to 33.4 mmHg. On multiple linear regression analysis, age, gender, body surface area, ASDs' diameter, PVR, diastolic blood pressure, and echocardiographic assessment of right atrial pressure (RAP) explained 68.8% of the total variability in the model (r(2) = 0.688, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONInaccuracy was frequently reported in Doppler echocardiographic assessment of the PAP in adult ASD patients with PAH and was often associated with age, gender, body surface area, ASDs' diameter, pulmonary vascular resistance, diastolic blood pressure and echocardiographic estimation of RAP.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; methods ; Female ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Artery ; pathology ; Young Adult

Administration, Inhalation ; Adult ; Carbolines ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; drug therapy ; Iloprost ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Tadalafil ; Young Adult