Which category of pulmonary hypertension is caused by left heart disease?

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Multiple Choice

Which category of pulmonary hypertension is caused by left heart disease?

When the left side of the heart has increased filling pressures, blood backs up into the pulmonary veins. This raises pulmonary venous pressure and the hydrostatic pressure in the pulmonary capillaries, leading to post-capillary pulmonary hypertension. This category is described as pulmonary venous hypertension due to left heart disease and is typically reflected by an elevated left-sided filling pressure (wedge pressure) on hemodynamic assessment. It’s distinct from other forms where the problem is in the pulmonary arteries (pulmonary arterial hypertension), or from lung diseases causing respiratory-associated PH, or from chronic thromboembolic disease obstructing the pulmonary arteries. Left heart disease examples include heart failure with reduced or preserved ejection fraction and significant valvular disease.

When the left side of the heart has increased filling pressures, blood backs up into the pulmonary veins. This raises pulmonary venous pressure and the hydrostatic pressure in the pulmonary capillaries, leading to post-capillary pulmonary hypertension. This category is described as pulmonary venous hypertension due to left heart disease and is typically reflected by an elevated left-sided filling pressure (wedge pressure) on hemodynamic assessment. It’s distinct from other forms where the problem is in the pulmonary arteries (pulmonary arterial hypertension), or from lung diseases causing respiratory-associated PH, or from chronic thromboembolic disease obstructing the pulmonary arteries. Left heart disease examples include heart failure with reduced or preserved ejection fraction and significant valvular disease.

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