We Help You Breathe Easier
If you or a loved one have been living with high blood pressure, you likely know it can lead to serious health concerns like heart attack and stroke. But what’s less talked about is that it can also affect your lungs.
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) happens when the arteries in your lungs grow narrow, making it difficult for blood to get from your heart to your lungs, where the blood needs to collect more oxygen. It can be genetic, or a variety of other conditions may cause it.
If you’ve developed high blood pressure in the lungs, you can count on us to help. We have an entire team of heart and lung experts focused on diagnosing and treating PH.
Our goal is to provide you with advanced therapies and compassionate care to get you back to doing the activities you love. Whole-person health in body, mind and spirit is within reach.
We’re here to help you find the right physician or a location that’s convenient for you.
Pulmonary Hypertension Diagnosis and Treatment
- Diagnosis
-
High blood pressure in the lungs may not produce any symptoms at first, but over time, it can cause shortness of breath, chest pain and fatigue. If left untreated, PH can lead to heart failure. If your primary care provider believes you may have PH, you can be referred to a specialist for further care.
High blood pressure in the lungs can be difficult to detect, so it’s important to be evaluated by an experienced heart and lung specialist. We offer the most advanced diagnostic testing services for pulmonary hypertension, including:
- Chest computed tomography (CT) scan
- Chest MRI
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Exercise testing
- Heart catheterization
- Pulmonary function testing
- Pulmonary vasodilator studies
- Breathing efficiency testing
- Medical Therapy
-
We offer a range of nonsurgical pulmonary hypertension treatments to help you feel your best. Many people respond well to medicine, lifestyle modifications and physical rehabilitation.
Medicines, such as blood vessel dilators, can help blood vessels to relax and widen. This allows blood to pass more easily from the heart to the lungs.
Oxygen therapy can also help relax the blood vessels. We may recommend this treatment for people with pulmonary hypertension due to sleep disorders or other underlying conditions.
Because medically supervised pulmonary rehabilitation can help improve lung function, our team offers a comprehensive program to help people lead healthier, happier lives.
- Surgery
-
In rare cases, surgery may be necessary to address high blood pressure in the lungs. Our team of world-class surgeons is dedicated to assessing and treating people with severe hypertension with advanced procedures that may not be available elsewhere in the region.
Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE)
This surgery removes organized clotted blood from the pulmonary arteries, which supply blood to the lungs. The PTE procedure can potentially cure a condition called chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). This occurs when blood clots develop scar tissue, causing the arteries to narrow.
Atrial Septostomy
An atrial septostomy is an open-heart surgery. A surgeon creates an opening between the two upper chambers of your heart. This relieves the pressure on the right side of the heart, which is where heart-to-lung arteries have narrowed.
Heart and Lung Specialists, Dedicated to You
When you need heart and lung care for pulmonary hypertension, you want world-class doctors' expertise — and that’s what you’ll find here. We bring you a team of experienced specialists who can guide you toward whole-person health.
Innovative Therapies to Help You Thrive
Pulmonary rehabilitation offers a combination of exercise, support and education. Our comprehensive program is designed to build strength and endurance to ease the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension.