Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program
Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, which makes the heart work harder and can lead to heart failure. If it is diagnosed properly and quickly, we have effective therapies that can slow the progression of the disease and possibly reverse some of the damage to the lungs and heart.
Our doctors have extensive experience dealing with pulmonary hypertension, and we treat adults and children over the age of 12. We are fully committed to defeating pulmonary hypertension and caring for the disease regardless of its cause, which may include pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), pulmonary venous hypertension, or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, among other causes.
We are a national Pulmonary Hypertension Association-accredited Center of Comprehensive Care and Center of Excellence. As the only accredited pulmonary hypertension program in the state, we offer patient- and family-centered care to patients from throughout the Northeast.
Our Approach
Our doctors, nurses, coordinators, and researchers are specifically trained and experienced at managing and treating patients with pulmonary hypertension. Patients will have access to other highly skilled specialists, including pulmonologists, cardiologists, rheumatologists, and gastroenterologists. We work closely with members of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, General and Advanced Heart Failure Program, Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Program, and the Liver Transplant Program.
We also work in concert with specialists in connective tissue disease such as scleroderma (we are a Scleroderma Center as designated by the Scleroderma Foundation), lupus, Sjogren’s disease, myositis, and dermatomyositis—pulmonary hypertension can be a serious complication of these conditions.
Distinguishing Factors
- Outpatient specialized clinic
- Designated floors in the hospital for pulmonary hypertension patients
- State-of-the-art heart catheterization laboratory
- Highly trained and qualified cardiologists who read echocardiograms focusing on the right side of the heart, which is a key clinical factor in patients with pulmonary hypertension
- Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and quality-tested systems in place that provide effective complex therapies to patients in a safe environment.
