Elevated pulmonary vascular resistance predicts mortality in COPD patients

COPD is frequently associated with mild to moderate pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, a small subset of patients develops severe PH, which is currently haemodynamically defined as mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) ≥35 mmHg, or mPAP ≥25 mmHg in combination with cardiac index <2.0 L·min−1·m−2 [1, 2]. These cut-offs are, however, arbitrary and mainly based on expert opinion. In this study we aimed to determine prognostically relevant haemodynamic thresholds for severe PH in COPD by using an unbiased approach. PVR >5 WU proved to be the strongest independent haemodynamic predictor of mortality in COPD patients. This threshold may best identify COPD patients with severe pulmonary vascular disease. https://bit.ly/3v4QE96