Care of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

• Published in: Pulmonary circulation Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Ryan, John J., Melendres-Groves, Lana, Zamanian, Roham T., Oudiz, Ronald J., Chakinala, Murali, Rosenzweig, Erika B., Gomberg-Maitland, Mardi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.04.2020; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: clinical trials; Consensus Report; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Interferon; mechanical ventilation; Potassium; prostacyclin; pulmonary hypertension; right heart failure; therapeutics; therapeutics; right heart failure; clinical trials; mechanical ventilation; prostacyclin; pulmonary hypertension
• ISSN: 2045-8940; 2045-8932; 2045-8940
• DOI: 10.1177/2045894020920153

The COVID-19 pandemic presents many unique challenges when caring for patients with pulmonary hypertension. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered routine standard of care practice and the acute management particularly for those patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, where pulmonary arterial hypertension-specific treatments are used. It is important to balance the ongoing care and evaluation of pulmonary arterial hypertension patients with “exposure risk” to COVID-19 for patients coming to clinic or the hospital. If there is a morbidity and mortality benefit from starting pulmonary arterial hypertension therapies, for example in a patient with high-likelihood of pulmonary arterial hypertension, then it remains important to complete the thorough evaluation. However, the COVID-19 outbreak may also represent a unique time when pulmonary hypertension experts have to weigh the risks and benefits of the diagnostic work-up including potential exposure to COVID-19 versus initiating targeted pulmonary arterial hypertension therapy in a select high-risk, high likelihood World Symposium Pulmonary Hypertension Group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension patients. This document will highlight some of the issues facing providers, patients, and the pulmonary arterial hypertension community in real-time as the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving and is intended to share expected common clinical scenarios and best clinical practices to help the community at-large.