Predictors of reversibility of pulmonary hypertension in cardiac transplant recipients in the first postoperative year

Background: Pulmonary hypertension remains a risk factor for early postoperative mortality in heart transplantation and may reduce the long- term benefits of the procedure. This study was undertaken to assess the value of baseline hemodynamic studies with nitroprusside used to predict the degree of postoperative reversibility of pulmonary hypertension in cardiac transplant recipients and to identify clinical risk factors for fixed pulmonary hypertension. Methods and Results: Hemodynamic data from 55 consecutive patients who underwent orthotopic cardiac transplantation from June 1988 through September 1993 were analyzed. The effects of nitroprusside and transplantation on pulmonary artery pressure, cardiac output, and pulmonary vascular resistance were compared. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of reversibility of pulmonary hypertension. Nitroprusside reduced pulmonary vascular resistance by increasing cardiac output and, to a lesser extent, by reducing the transpulmonary gradient. Pulmonary hypertension was less reversible in patients with ischemic heart disease (versus dilated cardiomyopathy) and in former smokers (versus nonsmokers). Patients with nonischemic heart failure and no smoking history had significantly lower posttransplant pulmonary vascular resistance (1.24±0.45 Wood units) than ischemic patients (who were all former smokers: 2.20±1.01 Wood units) or nonischemic former smokers (1.72± 0.70 Wood units). The correlation of pulmonary vascular resistance during nitroprusside challenge with posttransplant pulmonary vascular resistance was better than that of baseline pulmonary vascular resistance with posttransplant pulmonary vascular resistance. Conclusions: Nitroprusside testing improves the prediction of late posttransplant pulmonary vascular resistance; hence, it provides data that may be relevant to both early operative risk and later long-term effectiveness of cardiac transplantation. The finding of increased risk of fixed pulmonary hypertension associated with ischemic heart disease and smoking suggests that underlying atherosclerotic vascular disease may contribute to the irreversibility of pulmonary vascular resistance.