title: Long-term outcome with intravenous iloprost in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
abstract: There is limited data on the long-term efficacy of intravenous iloprost in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This retrospective multicentre analysis evaluated the clinical course of patients with PAH treated with i.v. iloprost, in most cases after having received inhaled iloprost as first-line therapy. Between 1997 and 2001, 79 PAH patients were treated with i.v. iloprost and followed until 2007. These patients had advanced and progressive disease as indicated by a mean pulmonary vascular resistance of 1,533 dyn x s x cm(-5) at the time of diagnosis and of 1,858 dyn x s x cm(-5) at the onset of i.v. iloprost therapy. Introduction of i.v. iloprost therapy resulted in initial haemodynamic and clinical improvement. At the end of the observation period, however, 50 (61%) patients had died and 21 (26%) required lung transplantation. Transplantation-free survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 yrs were 86%, 59% and 45%, respectively, after the diagnosis of PAH, and 54%, 31% and 15%, respectively, after the introduction of i.v. iloprost therapy. Predictors of an adverse outcome at baseline were a low 6-min walk distance and a low mixed venous oxygen saturation. In conclusion, despite initial haemodynamic and clinical improvement, overall long-term survival with i.v. iloprost therapy was limited.
authors.affiliation: Hanover Medical School, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. hoeper.marius@mh-hannover.de
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hoeper
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gall
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Seyfarth
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halank
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Ghofrani
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Golpon
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Opitz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ewert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016285:Iloprost / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D016285:Iloprost; D010100:Oxygen