The Pharmacologic Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary Arterial Pressure

Pulmonary arterial pressure is generated by the right ventricle ejecting blood into the pulmonary circulation, which acts as a resistance to the output from the right ventricle. With each ejection of blood during ventricular systole, the pulmonary artery blood volume increases, which stretches the wall of the artery. As the heart relaxes (ventricular diastole), blood continues to flow from the pulmonary artery into the pulmonary circulation. The smaller arteries and arterioles serve as the chief resistance vessels, and through changes in their diameter, regulate pulmonary vascular resistance.

In hemodynamic terms, the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) can be described by

Equation 1:  PAP = (CO x PVR) + PVP

where CO = cardiac output, PVR = pulmonary vascular resistance, and PVP = pulmonary venous pressure. The PVP is essentially the same as left atrial pressure. Therefore, increases in CO, PVR or PVP will lead to increases in PAP. Normally, mean pulmonary artery pressure is about 15 mmHg, and the pulmonary artery systolic and diastolic pressures about about 25 and 10 mmHg, respectively. Pulmonary venous pressure is about 8 mmHg. Therefore, the pressure gradient driving flow through the pulmonary circulation is rather small at about 7 mmHg (mean pulmonary arterial minus venous pressures). This is a much lower driving pressure than the systemic circulation where the arterial-venous pressure gradient is about 90 mmHg. Although the blood flow through the pulmonary circulation is essentially the same as the blood flow through the systemic circulation, the pulmonary vascular resistance is ten- to fifteen-fold lower than the systemic vascular resistance, and this explains why the mean pulmonary artery pressure is relatively low.

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Pulmonary Artery Hypertension - Types and Causes

Revised 03/14/07