title: Pulmonary vasodilation in acute and chronic heart failure: empiricism and evidence.
abstract: Pulmonary hypertension in heart failure is associated with exercise intolerance and adverse outcomes. With the availability of multiple drugs that cause pulmonary vasodilation and decrease pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary hypertension becomes an attractive therapeutic target. Out of several classes of medications, oral phosphodiesterase inhibitors emerge as the most promising in terms of symptomatic improvement, hemodynamic benefits, reverse cardiac remodeling, and functional capacity. Future trials will show whether the use of these drugs translates to decreased morbidity and mortality in heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33618, USA. mguglin@health.usf.edu
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guglin
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D014665:Vasodilator Agents