Relief of right ventricular angina and increased exercise capacity with long-term oxygen therapy.
Long-term low-flow oxygen therapy can lead to improved exercise capacity and improved hemodynamics in selected patients with pulmonary hypertension. We report a patient who presented with severe exercise limitation and anginal chest pain that appeared to result from pulmonary hypertension and predominantly right ventricular ischemia. Acute oxygen therapy led to relief of pain but no change in exercise capacity or of pulmonary hypertension. After eight months of oxygen therapy, the patient's pulmonary hypertension was unchanged, but right ventricular hypertrophy and marked increases in exercise cardiac output and exercise capacity developed. Thus, oxygen can relieve right ventricular angina and facilitate the development of compensatory hypertrophy.
Morrison
D A
DA
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Denver Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Klein
C
C
Welsh
C H
CH
D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000628:therapy*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000503:physiopathology; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D006346:Heart Septum; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right