Better Outcomes in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension After Repair of Congenital Heart Disease, Compared With Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary vascular changes in postoperative pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) are similar to those seen in idiopathic PAH. Data are sparse on direct comparative midterm outcomes for these 2 high-risk populations.

METHODS

Patients with idiopathic or postoperative PAH referred to a large tertiary hospital between June 2005 and July 2019 were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 364 consecutive patients were studied, including 201 postoperative PAH patients and 163 patients with idiopathic PAH, with a median age of 18.7 (interquartile range 10.0, 31.5) and 7.3 (IQR: 2.9, 18.3) years, respectively. PAH-specific drugs were used in 77.7% of patients; 31.4% received combination therapy. Patients with idiopathic PAH had a shorter 6-mintue walk distance, lower percutaneous oxygen saturation, and higher B-type natriuretic peptide levels than those with postoperative PAH at diagnosis (all < 0.001), During a median follow-up time of 3.4 (interquartile range: 2.1, 5.8) years, 56 patients (15.4%) died, and one underwent bilateral lung transplantation. Patients with postoperative PAH had better survival than those with idiopathic PAH, according to age (hazard ratio [HR] 0.128, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.07-0.22, < 0.0001); Kaplan-Meier survival estimates at 5 years for idiopathic and postoperative PAH patients were 74.3% and 92.6%, respectively. Patients in New York Heart Association functional class III-IV had an over 4-fold increased risk of death (HR 4.85, 95% CI: 2.61-9.00, < 0.0001). Patients < 18 years of age at idiopathic PAH diagnosis had a worse survival compared to adult patients (HR 6.90, 95% CI: 4.19-15.56,  = 0.040).

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative-PAH patients had better midterm survival compared to patients with idiopathic PAH. Mortality was significant in both PAH groups, reinforcing the need for early diagnosis and optimal individualized management to improve outcomes.