PH Centre (focus on pulmonary hypertension)

The PH consultation is organized by the Cardiology I (Director: Prof. T. Münzel) in close cooperation with the CTH. Diseases of pulmonary circulation and, in particular, pulmonary hypertension (PH) often cause „atypical“ medical conditions and thus can remain undetected and untreated for many years. Untreated PH can have serious consequences for the quality of life and life expectancy of the patients. For most PH patients the cause of the disease is found in a severe cardiac insufficiency or chronic lung disease. Furthermore, independent PH forms starting from the lung vessels themselves exist, such as the pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and, partly, the chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Effective drugs/medicines (prostanoids, endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase inhibitors) have been developed to treat PAH recently. Certain patients with CTEPH can profit considerably from surgical therapy.

Based on clinical evidence and, if applicable, the results of preliminary examinations we perform complete PH diagnostics. The most important screening examination is the echocardiography (heart ultrasound). Upon detection of typical symptoms of the right heart overload/burden, a comprehensive examination/clarification will follow. This includes laboratory tests and imaging methods as well as hospitalization to conduct a right heart catheter examination. As soon as the diagnosis has been confirmed and the type of PH identified, appropriate general (oxygen, diuretics, anticoagulant substances) and specific medical or surgical therapeutic measures are being initiated. Furthermore, we offer a close-meshed follow-up and long-term care.